First time indoor hydropronics

First time trying hydropronics. I have a basic 18 gal tote with a bubbler. I purchased the auto flower 15 seed mix. I’m gonna put 1 plant of each kind so 3 plants in the tote. I have good light and I purchased this fertilizer

so do I just do what the instructions on fertilizer tells me to and I’m good? Am I on the right track? I really don’t want to screw this up and hydroponic supplies are hard to find in my area so I’m having to order everything.

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Welcome to ILGM forum. I don’t grow with hydroponics so I can’t be much help. Just wanted to welcome you to community. Lots of hydro growers on forum that can possibly help out. Good luck and happy growing.

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I have never used those nutrients but I would cut the amount the directions say in half and double check the pH just to be safe

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Can I use those ph testing strips for Aquarius? What should the phone be and do I need to buy ph boost and something to lower ph? Sorry for all the questions I’m just trying pick the brain of some one that’s done it before so I don’t screw up my high dollar seeds.

I meant ph strip for aquarims

Hello, I have used the advanced nutrients 3 part base for years. They should say ph perfect on them so you don’t have to adjust the ph. I would recommend getting a ph pen if you can though if you want to monitor it. You can probably use the aquarium strips but it will be harder to read and way more time consuming. The 3 part automatically gets the ph around 5.8 though, for about 7 to 10 days then you need to mix up more and change it. Use your best judgment on res changes. I use the same dose of all three together. Micro always goes first. Grow then bloom. Start with 1/4 tsp nutrient strength and work your way up slowly. The nutrients are strong especially for little plants… it’s how I’ve always done it. Others may use a different ratio of each or do things differently but this has worked for me.

So I mix all 3 nutrients together all the time instead of using one kind then working my way up to the next one?

Yeah I mix all 3 together every feeding. They have an app you can download and create a nutrient feeding schedule if you’re into that. They also have a nutrients calculator on there website to follow. It shows what to add in each week. Just ignore there dosage though it’s way to much lol

The way I understood the directions, I’m supposed to drain my water in my tote then add water and the nutrients every 7 to ten days right? Also am I supposed to be keeping my water a certain tempature? And I also seen something on one these forums were they was saying to keep the water level 2 inches from the bottom of the basket of the plants. Is that something I should keep up with and why?

Yes you want to keep the water cool if you can. Cooler water has more dissolved oxygen. This gives the plant oxygen to breath. Try to keep it between 65 and 70F. If the water gets hot it will create root rot and all other sorts of problems. Also it will be barely able to breath. I recommend getting hydroguard if you can. It will save you tons of headaches. As for water level, you don’t want the water to high up because it can rot the stem or create mold I think. Generally the roots will be suspended in the water. It shouldn’t be to full though. The bubbler should always be on too which splashes the net pots with water. Be careful for your seedlings. If the roots aren’t getting wet from the water underneath they will dry out and die.

What’s a hydro guard and can I get it at Lowe’s or Walmart cause that’s all we got in my little hick town. :joy: me and my 70 ur old hippy friend we’ve built 2 totes like I mentioned and we also have like a little Aero garden with its on grow light. After we germinate the seed and put it in the Aero thing till its a couple inches tall we then transfer them to the tote. It’s just hard to find the pods or baskets. I ordered some off wish 2 months ago and still ain’t receive them. We ordered these off line and that’s what we been using. Screenshot_20200520-090543|281x500 Like I was saying we built two totes already and back around middle of March we started 9 plants total of some seeds we collected from just regular smoke and all we did was added miracle grow to the water. And for a month all the plants looked good and growing fast then I read up on how to tell males from females and I be damn 5 out of 9 was males. That’s The reason we paid $150 for the seeds this go around. We wanted to do hydroponic cause it says it cuts the growth time in half and better yield and potency. But the ones we got going, they are alive and looked to be trying to bud but they ain’t nothing to brag on. We was just experimenting really. But we gonna get rid of them completely before we start new plants and might even fumigate our grow room or something to make sure there ain’t any chance we growing males cause it sucks throwing away your prettiest plants cause they males.

these pictures was taken bout a month ago. But it kinda gives you an Idea of our cheap set up. I really appreciate you talking to me and helping me. It’s nice to get info from folks that are growing hydro too. When we started with them scrap plants we got growing, I kept telling my friend that we wouldn’t doing something right or there is more to it cause its way to easy. Lol

No! Do not follow the manufacture guidelines for nutes! Use between 1/4 and 1/2 of what they recommend. Watch your plants, and they will tell you if you need to feed more/less, but manufacturers guidelines are for the manufacturers benefit, and normally way too high.

I did tell him that.

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Hydroguard is a beneficial micro that helps protect the roots. Are you in the usa? I also wouldn’t ever use miracle grow again lol

Not sure what you need to know now, but hit me up with any questions you have.