Please help me have a 1st time hydro grow success!!??

Ok so I am looking for a successful first grow of a single herb plant. I have decided on a stealth hydro ready made system, although it's apparent they are not hard to fabricate. As much as I like the 4 pot DWC system, and 6 pot Bubbleponics, I think it may best best to go with a single plant Bucketeer DWC system for starters. However, my biggest problem is this..... The location I have decided to grow is not accesable to me daily or maybe even weekly. It is at a friends that can offer no monitoring. I understand that PH and water changes will need to be done. However I need a system that will not require everyday maintanence once setup properly. I dont want to find that a 3 to 5 day absense has destroyed all of my efforts! Stealth seems to say that the bigger systems that hold more water, have less PH maintenence? I will spend the money and get the bubbleponics (8 Gallon) as opposed to the Bucketeer (5 Gallon) if the water capacity makes controlling PH that much more precise?

Does the water that you use make a difference? Will using higher quality water, than tap water, cause better results, and perhaps make ph easier to control? I had thought of using distilled water or Spring throughout my grow. However am unsure as to how often I will need to change water and if it will be cost effective?

I am also on a strict budget. I dont want to spend over $100 for a ready made kit with prepackaged nutes. Then, I intended to invest another $100 in dual spectrum cfls. I do know that light amount is another critical area. So I have decided not to go to cheap in this area. However I do not want to get into lights like MH or HPS unattended, because of heat issues. However I dont know how successful growth will be with an affordable dual spectrum II cfl setup, as opposed to investing twice that for a multispectrum 315 watt cfl setup?

Anyone that has hydro success, please lend me the value ins and outs of this method of growing all natural herbs. Any advice on water, lights, extras, monitoring equipment are very appreciated. I really want to set a system that I can monitor every 7 days or so if possible. It would be worth investing a little more. Please share any advice no matter how big or small. I want to have a fruitful harvest the very first time if possible for under couple hundred dollar investment.

Once a system is 'dialed in' it can be left for days without problems, but getting a set up dialed in takes experience.

There are many factors that we can't inform you about. Many nuances of your strain and set up that you will have to learn on your own. I don't think it's realistic to think you can set up your very first grow, leave it unattended for 7 days at a time, and expect a good harvest.

The biggest hurtle I see right away would be a way to replace the water as it is consumed. Plants that are well into flower can easily drink a gallon a day. As your nute solution lowers, your PPM and PH levels will fluctuate. This is why a bigger res will better resist fluctuations; the water level stays stable longer.

If you don't want to get a pre-made system, just go get a cheap bucket or med size trash can, some air stones, a pump, air hose, ect.. You don't have to do anything to the bucket. Just cut holes in the lid for the pots, throw the air stones in and fill it up with water. Go buy GH 3 part nute system and you have a basic set up.

In regards to PH, tap water can be hard to adjust because the 'hardness' of it acts as a sort of buffer that want's to bring the PH back up. Once the buffers are saturated, it holds it's PH fine. Filtered water takes much much less adjustment initially and stays pretty stable. As for your plants, they will be happy with whatever type of water you give them, assuming it's fit for human consumption. Your Ph will be effected by how much your plants eat, how much the water level drops, and the microorganisms in your res. If you have the right sort of microbes in your water it will help a great deal to keep the PH stable. (assuming you are not going with a sterile solution)

How often to change your solution is up to you. Some people do it every 7 days, others never do it the whole grow. I personally recommend changing it no sooner than 7 days and no longer than 2 weeks.

CFL are inferior to HID lights no matter what you hear, however it does sound like the best choice in your case. CFL are not a waste of time and will produce nice buds, but they will never have the penetration power of HID lights, and the bigger ones do put off a good bit of heat.

So in short, if your goal is to learn and get a bit of bud out of the experience then go for it, but you should expect it to be a struggle and not provide much reward the first few rounds.

i use tap water,gh flora nova one part grow/bloom, hg bud xl in flower and h202 4 ml a gal and i check ph twice in a week, once when i put fresh water and once right before im about to put a new batch of water in just to see what the ph is at. it usually ph's perfect at 5.5 with all additives and at the end of the week its usually rose to about 6.2-6.5. i would check more often but i HATE moving this thing around. i have been using this system for a while so i definitely have it dialed in it can take some time but with all those additives it seems to be working good for me.

Hey Puff,

You've heard two experienced growers tell you the same thing I was going to tell you. What they haven't told you was what their very first experience was and whether they would have been successful given the parameters you have stated.

This is my second attempt at a first harvest. Even watching my girls daily the first time didn't stop them from dying. I'm on my second try and my system is just now getting dialed in after lot's of pain and money, but the learning was priceless. However, had I not had daily access, even as much as 3 times per day, I'd be doomed.

The first time out you're going to run into pH issues, light leaks and algae, snot mucousy slime, BUGS of all types, water temps too high/low, relative humidity fluctuations, air temps. No matter how well you plan, the unexpected will occur, the unforeseen events will become visible and you will need to provide a solution AND a prevention. Bugs and slime will wipe your plants out in 3 to 4 days if they are unobserved. Unfortunately you won't know you have a bug problem until the first time they hit.

Yes you can do it from "remote". But plan on a complete, unexpected failure from time to time where you have to start a new batch of plants once you fix and prevent what caused that issue to happen.

I've got lot's of bruises and scars and I haven't smoked a single bowl of my own homegrown....YET. I'm just trying to give you realistic expectations.

Good luck in whatever you decide. I'll scribe to ride along and give moral support!

However, my biggest problem is this..... The location I have decided to grow is not accesable to me daily or maybe even weekly. It is at a friends that can offer no monitoring.

That's the biggest reason why this will be a bitch to pull off.
Not saying you can't do it, but you'd be better of planting in soil.

Using hydroponics ain't as easy as you seem to think it is.

Go ahead, ask me how I know.

Ph issues, water temps, nutes. These are the thing that will defeat you every time
unless you have them dialed in ahead of time. You need ph testing, and monitoring.

It's a lot of work even in a smaller grow. And if you frick it up, no smoke for you.

I would honestly say to start of in soil in a remote area. This way you can alway premix nutes, balance the ph
and carry it out to the plant for a once a week feeding in a camelback.

Lots of things to learn before you become self sufficient. Not everything is in the books.
You must learn to read your plants and respond to them accordingly.

I've grown outside and inside for over 40 years. I've had more crop fuck ups than you can imagine.
Back in the day. I'm not saying my way is the best way by any means.

But my way works like a mothafucking missouri mule, for me.

Learn it, live it, Enjoy it.

Hydroponics is out for you. The pH will deviate. The reservoir will need refilling.

I mean, maybe if you had the cash... but no way can you be running hydro on $100 without any way to monitor your system.

My suggestion is that you run a soil system utilizing Blumat automatic plant water-er... That's a weird word. Waterer.

Basically you set up a reservoir of a few gallons of water on the side. When you check on the plant you can then determine if you need to feed it. Most soil systems don't require feedings (though feeding can help grow larger plants) all they really need is a good organic mix and pH balance.

The money you save on the DWC you can put towards a 150w hps and a ceramic metal halide.

jsgamber said:

Hey Puff,

You've heard two experienced growers tell you the same thing I was going to tell you. What they haven't told you was what their very first experience was and whether they would have been successful given the parameters you have stated.

This is my second attempt at a first harvest. Even watching my girls daily the first time didn't stop them from dying. I'm on my second try and my system is just now getting dialed in after lot's of pain and money, but the learning was priceless. However, had I not had daily access, even as much as 3 times per day, I'd be doomed.

The first time out you're going to run into pH issues, light leaks and algae, snot mucousy slime, BUGS of all types, water temps too high/low, relative humidity fluctuations, air temps. No matter how well you plan, the unexpected will occur, the unforeseen events will become visible and you will need to provide a solution AND a prevention. Bugs and slime will wipe your plants out in 3 to 4 days if they are unobserved. Unfortunately you won't know you have a bug problem until the first time they hit.

Yes you can do it from "remote". But plan on a complete, unexpected failure from time to time where you have to start a new batch of plants once you fix and prevent what caused that issue to happen.

I've got lot's of bruises and scars and I haven't smoked a single bowl of my own homegrown....YET. I'm just trying to give you realistic expectations.

Good luck in whatever you decide. I'll scribe to ride along and give moral support!

Click to expand...

good info man +rep to you i did not tell you about my first time. room conditions can be a major issue i would also not recommend anybody to grow in a place you didn't have full access to at all times no matter the experience level. i have recently had friends offer me a very large room to set up my op in on a much larger scale and i have to refuse every time because i trust no one with my op but me and only me!! it is nothing personal to them at all. i can tell you the first time i grew i had researched everything on hydro for 2 years before even pulling the trigger on buying a single thing. when i felt ready i built a little dwc tote with 8 plant sites very simple and a separate flower room with diy flood and drain table. i used no ppm meter just recommended doses and checked ph with the test tube veg went good then when i put them in flower room with hid that i hadn't ran yet (first run let me remind you) didn't think to test run room without plants for a while(stupid) long story short room temps spiked up in the 100's for a day and every plant died but one and it was barley hanging in she survived but didnt yield jack. in my op now i am in there as soon as lights go on everyday no matter what and i have a check list check ph, pumps, timers etc etc. hydro is fun but you have to put effort in to get anything out even if you say its just for fun and nothing else grow twice with no harvest then tell me how you feel it can get expensive and frustrating.

just a little 2 cents and my neg experience from it but hell it happens just take it serious and a little effort and you will be good.

might want to think about hempy buckets as well man they are very low maintenance and water allot less. you could set up a drip to waste could run for weeks.