very new to this

hello,

i am very new to all this stuff. i read a book on hydroponics and i must say it was the worst book as far as information is concerned.
so # 1. what do i use after germination?
2. how often do i water? this includes all stages of growth!
3. for hydroponics how is fertilazation used? is it mixed with the water??
4. to clone what do i use to start the stem in? will it grow roots in my clay?
this is all i can think of right now. any input is greatly appreciated.

and no i wasnt baked when i read the book. i actually have never smoked b4... its all new to me lol

Disregard everything you read in that book. Read riu forums for a month then start your grow. Start small and get bigger each grow with exp.

1after seeds germinate put them in rockwool
2with hydro u never have to water that is the point
3I usually feed once a week but don't start till 4th week of veg
4u have to use cloning gel or powder and u can use soil but for bet results rockwool and a humidity dome are recomended

lobster05 said:

hello, i am very new to all this stuff. i read a book on hydroponics and i must say it was the worst book as far as information is concerned.
so # 1. what do i use after germination?
2. how often do i water? this includes all stages of growth!
3. for hydroponics how is fertilazation used? is it mixed with the water??
4. to clone what do i use to start the stem in? will it grow roots in my clay?
this is all i can think of right now. any input is greatly appreciated.

and no i wasnt baked when i read the book. i actually have never smoked b4... its all new to me lol

Click to expand...

so u dont use water? i thought it was a fertilizer\ water mix?

first of all you have to know what kind of hydro system you are going to run to know how often your plants need "watered" and yes you absolutely need water

for example a constanly recirculating deep water culture system works well, you can hand water using soiless medium, you can do ebb and flo, drip irrigation, nft,
i mean their is a plethora of hydroponic gardening methods.

once you know what method you plan to use, then i can answer your other questions more efficiently.
also for cloning, bubble cloners are great, rooting gel is advisable (rootech), and ph balanced water. you wont easily root into clay (i assume you mean clay balls or hydroton medium) but it's possible.
i've had plants take root under some fairly strenuous conditions, but i work primarily with rockwool and bubbleponic cloners

its called emily's garden... i think the water sits in there and there is an air pump.... so idk what the system is actually called

oh and what kind of lights? i would like to start out cheap.. only like 2-3 plants worth

lobster man.. listen!! get a seed, put it in soil.. watch it grow, read this site, ask questions. leave hydro, aero, clayballs, and all that shit(??) to those better educated. soil is god uses. equal that then move on.. im getting quite good at being god, in soil anyway....its a lot easier and forgiving....good luck and welcome to ROI.

elenor.rigby said:

lobster man.. listen!! get a seed, put it in soil.. watch it grow, read this site, ask questions. leave hydro, aero, clayballs, and all that shit(??) to those better educated. soil is god uses. equal that then move on.. im getting quite good at being god, in soil anyway....its a lot easier and forgiving....good luck and welcome to ROI.

Click to expand...

soil is much more forgiving if you are a beginner. i grow in soil primarily but have experience with different types of hydro set ups.

emily's garden is a type of deep water culture system....well shallow water, but it utilizes larger containers rather than net pots. i have had success with this type of system.

what you want to do is get you some starter plugs to start germinated seed in, let the seed go until you see your first sets of true leaves and/ roots in the plug. fill your container mostly full of your medium, put the plug in, and fill the rest of the container. be sure to monitor the water level as these systems have a small reservoir. begin with a high water level so the roots can grow down into the water and throughout the container. too low and you risk drying out your roots. i will usually hand water until the roots have penetrated the water's surface. Another thing do invest in a good air pump you want lots of bubbles. the concept here is that the plant is able to get water, nutrients, and oxygen at the root level at anytime. i use a aquafuse/ bubble wand instead of airstones to diffuse the air under water. constantly monitor your ph and EC within the system as growth continues. be sure to change your water in the reservoir at least once a month. never let these type of systems run dry or even low on water as roots die quickly when exposed to dry air. for such a small system t5 tubes would be sufficient or even t12 fluors for vegetative stage however i do reccomend hps lighting for your flowering stage HTGsupply.com should have all your lighting need and t12 shop lights from wal-mart work fine for seedlings small vegetative plants and cuttings.

lobster05 said:

oh and what kind of lights? i would like to start out cheap.. only like 2-3 plants worth

Click to expand...

HD & Lowes have hanging cfls for $40. Get both types of bulbs if you think you need to experiment Cool & Soft white. KISS "keep it seriously simple"! I start hydro in a ice cream container pics to follow.

*BUDS said:

Disregard everything you read in that book. Read riu forums for a month then start your grow. Start small and get bigger each grow with exp.

Click to expand...

what he said..........

some good advice here. i would only suggest you first plant in soil as you are new and soil is ezier to grow in.

lobster05 said:

hello,

i am very new to all this stuff. i read a book on hydroponics and i must say it was the worst book as far as information is concerned.
so # 1. what do i use after germination?
2. how often do i water? this includes all stages of growth!
3. for hydroponics how is fertilazation used? is it mixed with the water??
4. to clone what do i use to start the stem in? will it grow roots in my clay?
this is all i can think of right now. any input is greatly appreciated.

and no i wasnt baked when i read the book. i actually have never smoked b4... its all new to me lol

Click to expand...

Are you serious? Must be a new prescription or something eh? Welcome to RIU.ORG. Just treat it like any other plant. It's a weed after all. Just make sure that you take lighting and temperatures into serious consideration. About watering, just use a disposable cup with small holes on the bottom to pop the seeds. when the plant is 2 times bigger than the container, it is time to transplant to something bigger (not too big because of moisture buildup on the bottom where the roots will not reach for a while), don't worry, it's easy! The same applies to the next potting unless you really just want to place it in it's final growing pot and water lightly to reduce the amount of moisture on the bottom that never dries or dries very slowly (eventually).

I wouldn't clone in clay because roots need aeration. Recommended to use rockwool or good ol fashioned dirt with cloning powder/Gel. good luck ^_^

Small front yard garden. Anyone need tomato or cantaloupe starts? All you have is right now to do anything!

Hey bud,what im about to say is gonna come off bad but it isnt meant in a bad way.

Ive read all your posts & have came to the conclusion that growing mj is a new idea you just had,you want to get off as cheap as possible ( not a bad thing ) with as little time spent on research as possible ( ie the $3 phamplet ) .

You need to come to a complete stop & start reading everything mj related in site,get an understanding of what mj is,an understanding of what mj needs to thrive,an understanding of how to create a growing enviroment,get a firm understanding of the veneral principals of indoor mj growing before you make a move in any direction,with the exception of a library.

Again i wasnt trying to be an ass but i was trying to be blunt,a wake up call so you wont end up wasting cash.

Good luck & start studying asap.

so i just add the nutrients to the water right? i assume the percentage is on the bottles i purchase? also what nutrients do you reccomend?