So...anybody got any ideas?

i keep bonsai moms, but i don't think you'll be successful trying it in any hydro system; growth is just too much, too fast. for slow and small moms, stick with dirt, and keep them in 6'' pots.

kp

That being said, what do you recommend for soil? Is the Fox Farm soil good? Im just not so expirienced with taking samples of soil to test for nutrients, and testing the pH of soil for that matter either. Hydroponics is alot different in setup.

ff is good stuff, but a little hot for seedlings and new clones; i use bacto starter soil with excellent results. if you can find it i recommend it.

also, mg organic choice is supposed to be some nice stuff too, but i've not used it.

kp

Ive used the Organic Choice, and didnt really like it that much..Had too use alot of perlite, because it held too much moisture.

that can be a good thing when rooting clones and keeping moms; i like to water moms as little as possible, giving them a drink only just before taking slips or pruning back.

kp

Im really impressed by the results of your DWC grows..Your obviously quite an experienced grower. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions about DWC growing? I need a little bit of help with "rights and wrongs", and basically how to do things the right way.

ask away, that's what i'm here for

Okay, not sure what your preference is on medium..But I use vermiculite for seeding, and silica stones for veg. (Its kinda like clay pellets, but better..) I dont really have good results when transplanting the seedlings from the vermiculite into the netpots of my DWC. How big do I need to grow the plants in the vermiculite before transplanting into DWC? And do you have any tips for doing it?

i don't do seeds in hydro, for the same reason as you're having probs with. rockwool starter cubes work well, as the whole plug can be put in a net pot.

the less you disturb the root structure of the plants in hydro, the better and faster they will grow. i root clones directly in a net pot, so there is no transition. i have also rooted clones in an aerocloner, and transplanted to net pots which works well. coil the roots on some medium and fill in; roots take about 5 days to grow out of the pots.

i'd say your best bet for getting small plants from one spot to another would be rock wool. just be careful you don't keep your cubes too wet, or the seedlings will rot off at the base.

kp