First Grow "Bubbleponics"

Hey everyone, this is my first grow and the results of one week in the bubbleponics system. I sourced these seeds from some dispensary bud I had recently. I germinated them in rapid rooter plugs until they were about an inch tall, then moved them into the hydro. The light Im using is a 315 watt multi spectrum cfl bank, on a 24 hour schedule. I really messed up and started them on full nutrients, but they seem to have hung in there alright. I did a tank change today and now have them on half nutes. One thing I noticed is some of their leaves are curling up along the sides, especially near the stem. I'm not sure if this is a result of the over feeding or something else (ex. wind burn, heat). My closet stays around 78 degrees during the day, and between 55 and 60% humidity. I have been keeping the ph around 6.2. Any suggestions or comments are welcome and appreciated. I've have very modest expectations as this is my first grow, but I'm learning something new everyday and having fun. Peace

usually a heat or humidity problem when they curl like that.. what's your temp or RH?

Looks like you have that HID light way way waaaaaay too close imo

EDIT: You say theres actually CFL's in that hood? How warm is it to the touch?

A couple of things: Check the temperatures at the level of the plants. Could have some heat stress going on there with the leaf edges curling up. It doesn't look like there is a check valve on your airline. With your pump on the ground like that, a power outage (or other problem) will flood the pump and be an electrocution hazard (not too mention it can destroy your air pump). Check valves are inexpensive... or you could mount the air pump higher than water level somehow.

Growth rate looks good for a week old in any case (look closer to 2-3 weeks old) even if they look a bit beat up (again I'd suspect radiant heat because they really don't look nutrient burned to me). How do the roots look?

cowell said:

usually a heat or humidity problem when they curl like that.. what's your temp or RH?

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My temp stays between 75 and 82 during the day, not sure at night (need to get a digital thermometer). The rh stays between 55 and 60%.

maybe move that light up a little? Is it warm to the touch? I ask because that really looks like heat stress from the light, not the ambient air temp..

TaoWolf said:

A couple of things: Check the temperatures at the level of the plants. Could have some heat stress going on there with the leaf edges curling up. It doesn't look like there is a check valve on your airline. With your pump on the ground like that, a power outage (or other problem) will flood the pump and be an electrocution hazard (not too mention it can destroy your air pump). Check valves are inexpensive... or you could mount the air pump higher than water level somehow.

Growth rate looks good for a week old in any case (look closer to 2-3 weeks old) even if they look a bit beat up (again I'd suspect radiant heat because they really don't look nutrient burned to me). How do the roots look?

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Thanks for the advice. I'll move that thermometer down on top of the tank and check the temp in a little while when it has had time to adjust. Can I find a check valve at Home Depot, or would I need to go to the hydro store for that part?

reefcouple said:

maybe move that light up a little? Is it warm to the touch? I ask because that really looks like heat stress from the light, not the ambient air temp..

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The lights are pretty cool to the touch, especially with the air blowing past the bulbs. I was told to keep cfls around three inches from the tops of the plant because they don't put out a lot of lumens. I'll try lifting the light up a bit.

MonsterMash said:

The lights are pretty cool to the touch, especially with the air blowing past the bulbs. I was told to keep cfls around three inches from the tops of the plant because they don't put out a lot of lumens. I'll try lifting the light up a bit.

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Well you're probably ok if they aren't warm.. just looks like a HID hood and heat stress, but if its cool to the touch then thats not the problem... Theres a forum on here for illnesses you may want to check out..

Are you using advanced nutrients by chance? Advanced nutrients are very strong, even at half strength..

I would go straight water for a few days...

reefcouple said:

Well you're probably ok if they aren't warm.. just looks like a HID hood and heat stress, but if its cool to the touch then thats not the problem... Theres a forum on here for illnesses you may want to check out..

Are you using advanced nutrients by chance? Advanced nutrients are very strong, even at half strength..

I would go straight water for a few days...

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I'll try reposting my issue over there. I'm using the Stealth Hydro nutrients that came with the kit. Im not sure what the exact specifications are for their formula are, but I have the micro and grow nutrients in the tank now.

MonsterMash said:

I'll try reposting my issue over there. I'm using the Stealth Hydro nutrients that came with the kit. Im not sure what the exact specifications are for their formula are, but I have the micro and grow nutrients in the tank now.

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I didnt mean that you need to repost with your issues, i mean theres a FAQ portion with a list of plant illnesses you may want to check out..

Best of luck

MonsterMash said:

Thanks for the advice. I'll move that thermometer down on top of the tank and check the temp in a little while when it has had time to adjust. Can I find a check valve at Home Depot, or would I need to go to the hydro store for that part?

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You can get check valves at pet stores (like Petco), or probably even places like Target/Walmart if they have an aquarium section. Hydro stores will also probably have them.

Hey check the roots and make sure they are white, clean, and there is no bad smell or funkiness going on just to be on the safe side. Might want to pick up a floating aquarium thermometer while at the pet store so you can monitor the temperatures in the reservoir. Might also want to put some insulation (or at least a cut sheet of pandafilm) on the top of the reservoir if radiant heat turns out to be the issue in order to keep the water cooler and avoid some other future problems with a DWC setup.

TaoWolf said:

You can get check valves at pet stores (like Petco), or probably even places like Target/Walmart if they have an aquarium section. Hydro stores will also probably have them.

Hey check the roots and make sure they are white, clean, and there is no bad smell or funkiness going on just to be on the safe side. Might want to pick up a floating aquarium thermometer while at the pet store so you can monitor the temperatures in the reservoir. Might also want to put some insulation (or at least a cut sheet of pandafilm) on the top of the reservoir if radiant heat turns out to be the issue in order to keep the water cooler and avoid some other future problems with a DWC setup.

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The roots look nice and white so far. Do you think painting the lid white after this grow would help with temp and reflectivity?

MonsterMash said:

The roots look nice and white so far. Do you think painting the lid white after this grow would help with temp and reflectivity?

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Definitely recommended - keeping the reservoir mix cool is a great preventative step (root rot is horrible if it gets established). It becomes a bigger risk as the root mass gets bigger/thicker and slows down the circulation of oxygenated water.

Reflectix is a good insulator that's readily available at home improvement stores as an alternative for the painting challenged (plus it looks good and is easy to apply).

What is the temp of your water?

I'm a little late to this party, but I'm guessing this is a heat stress issue.

You can't put lights right on top of your plants. Just think of how plants are outside. The sun isn't right on top of them, is it? Nope.

It's always best to get in with your plants, feel their surface temp (with clean hands) to see if you need to adjust things as you go. Even the best of kits can tell you to do dumb things.

You're the grower, so you need to make adjustments that make sense for your plants and your goals.

yeay the light is way to close.

decrimCA said:

You can't put lights right on top of your plants.

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Sorry, but I beg to differ...I've been growing for 20 years and ALWAYS start with Fluorescents at about +\- 2 inches from plant top, and they stay that close until they're ready for MH. THEN they are distanced accordingly.
If you can hold the back of your hand at plant top without feeling intense heat, you're ok. My advise is to get a thermometer with a remote temp prob you can hang at plant top. You take the guess work out that way and they have them at Target for <$15.00