HNIC

arite, got everything i need to start, and the seeds are gonna be ready to go under the light in a few days but i have one last ?. I keep reading different threads on ebb + flow systems and I've seen some very drastic differences in the water pump timers. Some are two times a day for a half an hour, and then some are 15 minutes every hour all day and night. I thought 2 times a day for 30 min was gonna be good but now im confused. Dont i just want to soak my rockwool when it dries up, which would assumingly only be about 2 times a day especially when theyre little sprouts. Maybe i shouldda stuck with the bubbler system, but i like to try variety, see which works better. Has anyone done both and seen differences? thanks for the helpp

El Guapo419

2-3 times a day should be fine. It all depends on your light intensity. You obviously want to prevent the rocks from drying out. Feedings may increase with the size of your plants. You should never surpass 4-5 times a day unless you run them 24 hours. Running the pump for 15min at a time is fine. You only need to soak the rocks. Soaking the rocks for a long time will not benefit the plants any.

Genes4us

I feed 15min. every hour, yes that's 24 feeds a day. They do real good on it. I use just about an inch square piece of rockwool, just enough to get the seed germed, and them transfer them to 6" mesh pots with clay balls. I have 1 kw of hps on them also. I have tried several different intervals, and they all work. I was using on 15 and off 30 with an air stone in the reservoir. This worked very aggressively, but I found you had to lay back on the nutes. On 15 and off 45 seems to be my slot for now. It has done well for me on the last two grows.

I have three clones going in a bubbler at the same time with my e&f. E & f was from seeds started a week after the clones and they are whipping the tar out of the bubbler plants. I have had no previous experience with bubblers except to start clones or seedlings, so it aint conclusive to me who do better.

Later

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HNIC

thanks for the help. I guess im gonna start on 15 min twice a day at first and then mess with some different schemes, see how it goes. I have 800 watts on 11 plants but 7 of them arnt feminized so i'll weed some out after theyre sexed. the other 4 are feminized so theyre definates. I think they should be ok with 11 plants and 800 w for the first 5 weeks, hopefully like 3 are male and i can get down to 100w per plant.

El Guapo419

50 watts per plant is suffice. What you have sounds fine. How many times you water depends on plant size, light intensity, and climate. I "personally" found watering to often started mold on the rocks and through trial and error found no increase in growth. The plants can't take anymore then whats in the rocks. The key to rockwool being so great is the plants have constant access to oxygen. If they're submerged then they don't receive oxygen.

HNIC

gotcha, thanks for the help. I didnt plan on getting up to watering once an hour but i was gonna try 2-4 times a day throughout the veg stage. Maybe i shouldnt wish for some males then if 50w's is ok. But even so im sure the more the light and space, the better the quality so maybe i'll hope for 2 males and get some space in there. wish me luck as i am about to start. I wish i had a dig cam so i could start a grow journal. By my next bubbler grow i should have one and will be able to start one on that grow....sometime in december, or maybe i'll have to wait til after christmas. thanks for the help