Dumb question but...

I've been having mixed results growing in soil. In trying to reuse the soil, which I thought I flushed well with RO water, I ended up with a lot of stunted plants the next time I used the dirt. So I bought one of these to try. http://www.4hydroponics.com/hydropon...No=originalDWC . It's a smaller unit but I have one question. Once I plant the rockwool with the germinated seeds in the hydroton how do I keep things growing until the roots reach the water? Manual watering makes sense but the roots would still be exposed to the air between waterings. Any help would sure be appreciated.

I've never used a system like that, so someone will correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty certain that the mist from the bubbler(s)/airstones is sufficient until the roots grow down in to the reservoir.

Have you dealt with hydroton before? Be sure to rinse it well first before using it. You'll have a mess on your hands otherwise.

stow may be right about that hi hi humidity being enough

haven't used these systems, but kinda similar a while back. some ppl use nutrient film technique (ez to build w tote) first to get long draping hydro roots that are already at the bottom of the basket when you repo, bcuz the darn hydrocorn is very airy and doesn't hold water well... check em roots, corn/roots dry easily until it connects w the water and starts wicking.

I'd at least hand water frequently until you're sure it roots touch water. a drip system circulating from below to above may be excessive but it may keep moistt and speed everything up.

^^^^I agree what he says, sounds right.^^^^

I'd ditch that thing and build yourself a much better set up for much cheaper. Do you really want to squeeze 8 plants onto a 20"x24" space? Also, if you run different strains they might have drastically different nutrient need, you'll be fucked with just having one reservoir. I personally would just build your own DWC using 5 gallon buckets. Check out my grow in my signature to see my set up.

As for water level for starting, i bring the water right up to the bottom of the net pots until there are roots poking out to reach the water on their own. Also, the air bubbles breaking the surface tension of the water actually create a good amount of splashing to keep the roots wet when you lower the water level in the rez later on.

Thanks for the helpful tips. Huel, I thought I'd put 4 plants in it the first time. I really bought this because it was a complete kit and I wanted to try hydroponics. Plus because of height restrictions I need to keep the plants fairly short. I checked out your grow, pretty impressive.

Doing 4 plants in it would be the most i'd ever want to run in that small of a space, unless i was running small single cola plants SOG style.

If you have any other questions down the road feel free to ask.

Thanks for the kind words and good luck!

Some DWC and Under Current Deep Water systems will have spy holes incorporated and they can be used to mist roots as they grow into the water . But as mentioned the bubbles with a DWC unit will generally do the trick , not always so with the under current systems .

I am with Hue as those cap systems are a bit pricey for what they are , you could have 4-8 Five Galllon Bucket system if you wanted to go that route eventually for less , most grow stores have everything you need to assemble such and you dont even need to drill if you choose to not have a reservoir .

Looks like this will be a good adventure for you into the world of Hydroponics , it is easier than most think once you understand the basics .....Best of luck .Peace