Can I make this work?

**Tsolrathe** · 10-20-2008, 12:14 PM

I'm on my first grow, and when I started, I had no clue what I was doing. I followed the directions on this page: How to grow Hemp - Full grow guide- All about hemp growing
I set up the hydro reservoir system with rockwool. I started my plants in 1" rockwool, and when the roots started coming out the bottom, transferred them to 6" rockwool. I then have the 6" cubes sitting in about 3" of nutrient solution, which I allow to get down to about 1.5"(takes about 3-4 days), then fill back up to 3", and I empty it out and refill it about every 10 days. I monitor and adjust the ph every day. I haven't seen any reference on these forums to people growing this way. So far it seems to be working well, though the growth is slowing down. (I'm about 3 weeks in counting germ, my plants are 5"ish tall and have 4 sets of leaves) I did read one post saying that it's not good to saturate rockwool because eventually it will stop holding oxygen. Is this going to be a problem? Would putting airstones under the rockwool fix this, or what should I do? Also, it seems like with the amount of moisture the rockwool holds, that any changes or corrections I make to the nutrient solution will take awhile to get to the plant, at least until the roots start peeking out again. Like I said, so far it's going fine(except for a tiny bit of nute burn), but I want to nip any problems in the bud before they happen. So far I'm planning on using this system for my next grow, unless I start running into trouble. Any suggestion on how I should change it, or just scrap it all together, or is it a decent system?

Oh, and that site said rockwool is re-useable... but isn't my rockwool going to be full of roots when this grow is done? I would think that that organic material could lead to rot and other problems... or is there some treatment I can do to reuse the rockwool? It would be really nice if I can reuse it because the nearest hydro store is 4 hours away, and I prefer to keep my on-line ordering for such things to a minimum.

Here's my boring little journal: http://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/121144-my-first-grow.html

**NoDrama** · 10-20-2008, 12:49 PM

Ok couple of things about RW ( RockWool). Whoever told you that RW does not like to sit in liquid was absolutely correct. MJ plants absolutely hate the roots being wet all the time. that would explain why your plants are only 5" tall, proper hydro methods should have them 2-3 feet tall by now. You want the RW cubes only MOIST never wet. Plants need lots and lots of oxygen to grow well. sitting stagnant water contains no oxygen. You should try ebb and flow style of growing ( AKA Flood and drain). Here check out Al B Fuct's grow, he has great results from using E&F.....Al B. FAQt

Absolutely cannot reuse RW, its must be disposed of after harvest. Hydroton can be washed and reused after disinfecting, but RW is never to be reused.

You have a few things to sort out, but nothing major for now.

**Tsolrathe** · 10-20-2008, 05:12 PM

Thanks very much for the help, NoDrama. I took a look at the link you gave, and your grow journal, and did some other research in those areas. I found a pond kit with a 240 gph pump for $60, and I plan on setting up a small eb and flow system for my next grow. (by small I mean a 2' by 2' table with a 250mh light) and going directly from clone to flower. If I can get 16oz off of that every 8 weeks, that'll hold me until I can afford more tables and do a constant cycle like Al's. In the meantime, do you think there's any way to salvage this grow? If I set up the eb and flow, do you think I can just put the plants I have that are in 6" rockwool cubes in there? Do you think I could keep it in my current reservoir system, but put airstones under the rockwool cubes to keep air in it? I'd like to get through at least one grow with with the plants I have instead of learning the hard way with expensive seeds. Plus, right now I'm growing under 2 26w cfls and 4 20w fluoros until I can save up for a mh. (I figure in the future I can use the fluoros for clones and the cfls for mothers)

Oh, another thing... anyone have any ideas where I can get a 2' by 2' container? I can't find anything at the local stores with those dimensions, and while I'm willing to build it, I'd rather not.

I am a total noob(I've already done about half the things in 'how not to grow...'), but I wanna learn and love getting help from the experts.

**burlingo** · 10-20-2008, 05:16 PM

i'm just pooping by to wish you luck!

started a journal?

**Tsolrathe** · 10-20-2008, 08:29 PM

Thanks for stopping by. I do have a journal. It's at My first grow

It's not very interesting I'm afraid. I'm mostly keeping it for my own records so I know what to do differently next time. I have pictures taken every few days, but my plants haven't changed much in awhile. :P I'll add my journal to my sig. Thanks for reminding me.

**NoDrama** · 10-21-2008, 04:19 PM

Originally Posted by Tsolrathe

Thanks very much for the help, NoDrama. I took a look at the link you gave, and your grow journal, and did some other research in those areas. I found a pond kit with a 240 gph pump for $60, and I plan on setting up a small eb and flow system for my next grow. (by small I mean a 2' by 2' table with a 250mh light) and going directly from clone to flower. If I can get 16oz off of that every 8 weeks, that'll hold me until I can afford more tables and do a constant cycle like Al's. In the meantime, do you think there's any way to salvage this grow? If I set up the eb and flow, do you think I can just put the plants I have that are in 6" rockwool cubes in there? Do you think I could keep it in my current reservoir system, but put airstones under the rockwool cubes to keep air in it? I'd like to get through at least one grow with with the plants I have instead of learning the hard way with expensive seeds. Plus, right now I'm growing under 2 26w cfls and 4 20w fluoros until I can save up for a mh. (I figure in the future I can use the fluoros for clones and the cfls for mothers)

Oh, another thing... anyone have any ideas where I can get a 2' by 2' container? I can't find anything at the local stores with those dimensions, and while I'm willing to build it, I'd rather not.

I am a total noob(I've already done about half the things in 'how not to grow...'), but I wanna learn and love getting help from the experts.

Scrap the current setup and go with a simple ebb and flow system, you can easily transfer the 6" RW cubes to the new container. You can get 2'x2' containers at wal-mart, K-mart, target...etc etc etc. Also purchase a 120v timer so that you flood and drain your new table 1x day.

You will probably never yield 16 oz off of a 2'x2' area, the best your probably going to do is 4-8 oz, double the light and space and you might be able to get close.