The Official Hempy Bucket Thread

[Giant]

Hey guys, sorry for the lack of updates.. It has been crazy around here! I have been feeding just RO water, pH'd to about 6.2 for the past two days. Today I hit them with the 2:4 mixture again, which came out to be about 256ppm (my RO was around 100ppm) and 6.2 pH. They are looking about the same.. No better, not much worse. Ill get some pics up ASAP.

I dont have any liquid bat guano, but I will try to find some..

 

[dubwise]

Using balanced water keeps the plant from going into further shock. If your ph is constantly moving the plant is constantly readjusting. This can cause a nutrient lock-out. Even if you're only rinsing the plant will still absorb whatever you're putting on it. Constant ph is key to getting a good crop dialed in.
Always happy to help a brotha out!

Okay...I think I did not completely explain myself in my question...I fully understand how the balance of water works...What I was wondering was what is the point in rinsing off the roots with ph balanced water when transplanting from the posters soil based plants to hempy buckets?

On the other side...I'd like to thank HappyDog for his response b/c he's right on the money as far as the reason for balanced water

 

[solarz]

Using balanced water keeps the plant from going into further shock. If your ph is constantly moving the plant is constantly readjusting. This can cause a nutrient lock-out. Even if you're only rinsing the plant will still absorb whatever you're putting on it. Constant ph is key to getting a good crop dialed in.
Always happy to help a brotha out!

I'm gonna have to respectfully disagree with this statement. "Balanced" water is NOT what you want, and it will NOT lead you to a good crop. These plants NEED ph fluctuation, because no one nute can be taken up in one specific range. So you want ph drift from about 5.5-6.5 or so to allow the plant to take up ALL available nutes. It won't cause lockout, but will rather help the plant take up nutes. Lockout will be causes if you exceed those ranges....so if you are feeding at like 5.0 or up around 7 or something like that. So folks...if you mix up your nutes, and they come out around 5.8 don't mess around with trying to ph it EXACTLY at 6.0...just go ahead and use it, your plant will thank you for it much more than you know...

solarz

 

[solarz]

however...i'd like to state, that there is absolutely nothing wrong with feeding your plant at the exact same ph all of the time (as long as its in the acceptable ph range...). I was just pointing out that ph fluctuation isn't a bad thing at all (as long as its in the acceptable ph range...)

solarz

 

[HappyDog]

I agree that a little fluctuation isn't a bad thing. I subscribe to a theory of consistency for feeding, especially b/c I run organics in semi-soil and the solution can move a point or more in a day. Lock outs don't normally happen in chem feedings where the ph doesn't swing as wildly.
The recommendation for rinsing w/balanced water was in case his water was too far out of range to prevent further shock.
Any time I find plant stress I reach for nitrozyme. It's a great plant stabilizer and makes for a tasty foliar feed. Also goes in my clone 'juice'.

 

[solarz]

When you say you use organics, are you referring to bottled?

solarz

 

[dubwise]

good point solarz...i suppose i did not know all i could know about drift and it makes more sense to me now. I generally stay around the same mark, but have a few plants I could allow some swing to see what actually occurs with my plants. This thread is great.

 

[bostrom155]

Hello All, Just recieved my bottle of FNB, im gonna mix a 2ml per gallon and try that every water. This shit is thicker than syrup

 

[HappyDog]

hey solarz, yes it's bottled which is technically semi-organic because of the cal/mag which is added. I run fox farms, diamond nector, liquid bat, b'cuzz, niyrozyme and superthrive in a 30gal res w/airstones. My pots are lava rocks on bottom w/pro-mix on top. The pro-mix gets amended w/charcoal, dry bat and microize. Clones are introduced on top in 3.5" rockwool cubes. Then I hand water to monitor growth and intake.

 

[tinman]

Whats up. I use flora micro and bloom, and i feed every water using the lucas ratio of 3ml:6ml per gallon. However im thinking of getting the floranova bloom and feeding 3ml instead

i have been using floranova grow and flora microand grow on two plants side by side and am using 1/4 of the floranova and as directed on the bottle of flora grow and micro,my obsevation is.....while the flora micro and grow is taller by about 4 inches(clones were same size and planted in buckets on same day) the floranova grow is much stronger and secondary stems are much closer together.color is good on the both of them but flora grow one is so weak that the wieght of the top big fans are pulling the top down! i,at this point,would recomend the floranova grow/bloom. just my obsevation..........regards,tinman

 

[delta9nxs]

bostrom, take a look at this before you use the fnb.

http://icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=144001&page=2

 

[dubwise]

delta +1 rep. great thread to post. very informative. Although I'm not using fnb right now, that information is great, esp. the undisolved crystal information. I had never really thought about it and will probably setting up a little aeration station for my nutrients. Do you think it would be helpfull to run a 3 way air line to my 3 part nutrients? I could throw it on a timer and aerate the nutrients a few times each day.
Anyone out there doing this to dissolve their things?

 

[johnnydfo20]

has anyone tried a micro version of this? i want to test this out with containers that can fit in a computer case i dont care about being rootbound im using bagseed and have all the time in the world just would like a method that doesnt involve much dirt and simple nutes i can get general hydroponics at my local hydro store

 

[bostrom155]

wow thanks D, totally missed that, i already used 10ml, shouldnt be too bad. That kinda sucks. but gotta do what ya gotta do.
Hey Dubwise I mix my nutes into a 5G bucket, then dump into 18G tote with an airstone running 24/7. From my organic soil days i guess. but more o2 is good. if thats what your talking about

 

[dubwise]

yeah kinda. I mean, that would probably be easier then what I was proposing. Way easier. I was pretty high earlier and got to ramblin'.

 

[bostrom155]

holy shit, just read up on mixing FNB, gonna mix up my quart in the morning, thanks again delta, i would have screwed up lots of buckets.

 

[a6grow]

hey guys its gettin real cold round these parts...temp in my room is around 63-69 degrees F throughout 12/12. i was feeding every other day but now when i go to feed, my hempy buckets still got water in them whereas before they would be pretty much all dry. does this issue have to do with the low temps? or is it nute lockout?? hempy experts please share some insight with me. thanks.

 

[Uncle Remus]

You can rinse the rootmass in any water...A 20-30 second rinse in tap or RO water isn't going to make any difference at all...IMO its more important to make sure the water isnt TOO hot or TOO cold...That will definately shock the hell out of them...Just keep the temps around room temp, and keep the flow LOW

I run DWC and I remember one time a few years back I mixed a new batch of nutes in some water that was 15 degrees cooler than ambient temps...After about 10 minutes the plant shriveled up like the witches legs in the begining of the Wiz of Oz...Thought for sure I killed it, but one the nutes reached room temp, it came back

 

[Uncle Remus]

As far as pH goes, sticl with 6.0, happy medium...I mix my nutes, and adjust to 6.0...Then recheck it the next day (approx 24 hours) and readjust to 6.0 if needed...Then simply add back 6.0 water for the rest of the week until its time to change nutes

I find that after the 2nd adjustment (if needed), my pH rarely if ever changes until the day or so before its nute change time...By that time your pH SHOULD rise, indicating the plant is using up nutes (and buffers), hence the RISE in pH

 

[Uncle Remus]

johhnydfo...Using small containers is VERY hard running hydro...I use 1.25 gal tubs for vegging and find that the pH can fluctuate like crazy...Using small tubs means there is less nutes and more importantly less buffers that help control the pH...This is especially difficult when running 1/4 and 1/2 strength nutes

Not saying it can't be done, but its a bitch