I’ve decided to do hydro. Read a ton. If I was indecisive with lighting……ugh. I can’t make up my mind. I started sone sprouts in Rockwool. They emerged. I have the cubes ready for what I do not know. I have an HLG600r and it’s in a 4x4x5 right now. I will move them to a double sized place when I need the room. Right now I have them on a tray with a make shift dome on top. How far and what do I do to the cubes? How long? What next? I want to do it right the first time. Build a really nice hydro set up. Please suggest anything I can consider!!! I really would like to know how far ti hang this light. HLG 600Rspec
You can top feed the sprouts once large enough by placing rockwool into a Solo cup with Hydroton in it. The caveat is once roots get long you are out of time to place in the system.
You will likely need a chiller. Plan on that. The larger the net pots, the deeper they lie in your bucket. This reduces capacity. You say ‘hydro’ but I would strongly recommend RDWC over bucket hydro. Totes can be used in place of buckets which can help as plants will consume a LOT of water in late veg/early flower. My two in Autopots are doing 5 gallons every other day between them.
You need good monitoring equipment. You’ve got a good light.
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You can use hlg 600 from start to finish. Use dimmer and distance to canopy.
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I take folgers coffee cans and cut 2" holes in the lids and place the rockwool starter cubes in 2" netpots. Then run an airpump with a small stone in the folgers can with mild nutrients until my roots have gotten long enough to reach the bottom of it final pot and transfer at that point.
Just a tiny dwc system
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So what I did last night…… I used one of those refrigerator veggie bins and 2 trays I had. I actually ended up making 2 side by side. The roots are poking out already so I cut holes in the trays and positioned them so they can go through, (the roots) then I filled up the bin w phd distilled water to just under the newly poked out roots. I have an air stone in there. I have 2 feit 30watt 2ft bulbs hanging about 6 to 10 about the dome. THIS IS PURELY ME REPLICATING THE IDEA OF WHAT A SIMPLE DWC SYSTEM ESSENTIALLY DOES.
from what I’ve been reading, DWC is suspending most of the plant about the water letting the roots sit in phd nuted water and a bubbler stone to o2 to plants. Personally I like the one my bf has it’s a DWC but also has a drip halo. I honestly am extremely handy gal and have been building shit from personal designs since the first outdoor grow 25 yrs ago. What could or would help my nursery? In the comments I’ll put what I am considering. Listen, this is my one and only hobby. I love pot, duh, but I love plants. Not just cannabis by FAR. I’m redoing and experimenting with other things with my multitude of houseplants and shelving/lighting. I’ve got orchids,carnivores, various stages of many cuttings hydbrid projects…. What I mean is, money is not an issue. I’ve seen some really interesting ways, way more advanced ands prob not for first time hydro growers. But I’m bud new to growing. Just hydro. So here’s the nursery I built. The water is right below the tray line and I utilized 2 trays. Will the roots go to the water? Are they too far or too close? Leave the dome on? How long? All the roots have popped thru bottoms of cubes.
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morning @Lunabudz929 hydro can be really simple or very complex…for me I chose simple and grow 1 plant in each reservoir/tote
this works for me in a bedroom in my house…
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Do you know what kind of hydro system you want? I personally recommend rdwc, recirculating deep water culture.
Id love to consult someone on these Ultra-Pot Advanced Grow Systems. 
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@Lunabudz929 the idea is sound but there are some major problems with the setup. Your reservoir should never allow any type of light in. Algae is your enemy as well as bacterial growth. I cant tell for sure but it also looks like youre using duct tape as a light shield/moisture retainer or just support on your rockwool cubes. I would try and find something thats not adhesive and easily removed later on. Dont want to rip apart your roots trying to remove it at transplant.
Youll also need vents to allow co2 in and to release oxygen. At this point in thier lives they also do not need a reservoir but just a dome over the top to hold in humidity. They have no root system yet and feed off the cotyledons for the first few days to a week and pull in moisture through the leaves until roots establish enough for them to feed on thier own.
As well seedlings hate wet feet and prefer a wet to dry cycle on every feeding. This allows the roots to grow out in search of food. If always wet they become weak so placing them over a reservoir right now will most likely kill them off from over watering.
They should be ready for an improvised rooter such as that in a week or so.
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Youll also need to start feeding them a mild nutrient solution now. Around 200 to 250 ppm with a 5.8 pH as the rockwool has no nutritional value and theyll starve.
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