Forgive my (most likely simple) question but I am very new at this and I need to know the basics to the first week of using an aero system. Do I just germinate and stick the seeds in the rockwools and start the pump? I am not sure how to get my system off the ground. Any advice is appreciated and sorry if this has been answered previously.
I have never used rockwool, I took the seeds out of the pods that came with the AG and after my seeds sprouted I put them in the AG pods with the root down. Put the AG lights as low as they go, they wont burn the plants and leave the plastic cap over the seed until the leaf almost hits the top.
Get some good nutrients, with the AG the nutrients go a long way, With general hydroponics nutrients I am using it is 3 tsp, 2 tsp, 1 tsp, so even a quart of each goes a long way. I use superthrive (a few drops in each water change also), can get it at most harware stores or places that sell pants. All three of mine have done great after I screwed up on the nutrients in the first 2 weeks, not a brown spot on any leaves and they look great, many many side branches and staying low and bushy. I did remove some fan leaves, hopefully that wasn't a mistake, between the 3 plants(1 is 12 inches, other 2 10 inches) and all 3 are about 14 inches wide, the entire AG is covered. I have removed about 25 fan leaves total towards bottom and a few in middle. I did notice after I do this the next day I get tons of new growth and the fill right back in, kind of amazing. I have the worst green thumb around and I think I am doing a great job with these. I am not removing any more fan leaves from here on, wanting all possible to take in the light. Yesterday I started spraying the leaves with a weak mix of water and eleanor's vf-11. I really hate to do anything else since they look perfect now, there is zero streaching. I might have to drop from the AG grow thread, I bought a grow tent, friend gave me a eb and grow, bought a 4 bulb 2 foot HO T5 3000k cfl light setup. I just removed the AG lights since they were almost to them, and now have 4 27 watt 6500 cfl bulbs in reflectors over the top, 1 2700k 42 watt cfl in reflector and 2 23 watt 5500k's. The plants all seem to be taking to this setup now even better and I am getting alot more growth. Keeping ph at 5.8-6.2 and temps at 79-84, 84 is a little much, but has been in the 90's here and hard to keep temps down, so I have been spraying the plants 3 times a day. Lets hope they are all female. They are still in the AG though, just not using the AG lights, I did have to cut the entire plastic out of the grow pods, the roots were so large I was worries the plastic would cut the roots, my largest plants stalk is larger than the bottom of the AG pod and I started seeing roots try to come up through the top of the AG. I have been growing them 24/0 since day one. Flowering is coming soon, I will use the 2 foot 4 bulb T5 CFL 3000k setup, 2 42 watt 2700k cfl bulbs in reflectors, a 5500k bulb and 1 6500k.
That way, you can remove one or both, and adjust however you like. Buy a "Figure-8" cord at Radioshack, or if you have a PS1/PS2 you can use that!