Hydro 101: The Lazy Man’s Guide to Growing Pot — Part 2
In part one of our guide, we laid out all the components needed to build a viable hydroponic growing system from the ground up. Now it’s time to get into the nitty gritty and outline how to put this bad boy together. Let’s do this!
The Germinator
First thing’s first … we need to nurture our beanie babies so they’re ready to plant. I reckon my approach to germination would be considered “ghetto” by most expert growers, but it works, so I figure if it ain’t broke, don’t break it!
What I do is lay a single sheet of paper towel on a ceramic plate, drop a seed in each of the four corners, then fold those corners over the seeds. From there, I spray the paper towel with a water bottle throughout the week. I mean, you want that shit …
Once all is copacetic, I set the plate under a fluorescent light. Obviously, the light is gonna make the paper towel dry out much faster, so be prepared to spray every couple hours or whenever possible. You’re basically simulating the conditions your seeds will see upon being introduced to the system.
I imagine there’s a better germination method the pros recommend. In fact, I’m sure of it. That said, I’ve had a high rate of success with this one. Like I said, if it ain’t broke …
The Set Up
Germination is a process that takes anywhere from 7 to 10 days. If all goes well, you’ll start to see the plant sprouting from the seed while layered between the paper towel. I like to wait until I notice that tiny set of double leaves. That way, I know which way is right side up. The plant will “usually” correct its positioning no matter what, but if you can make it easier for ’em, you should.
Once our seeds are ready, we’re gonna spend some time setting up our system. As we discussed in part one, we need one 5-gallon, one piece of rockwool cube, and one air stone per plant. Both your rockwool cubes and air stones should be hydrated roughly 30 minutes before usage. Since writing the original version of this article, I learned a tough lesson about not allowing the cubes to properly soak. Long story short, I wasted five perfectly germinated seeds.
Any way, I soak the stones in a plastic cup and toss the cubes in a free bucket while I get everything else ready. What does everything else entail? Mainly putting your buckets in play. For instance, you can fill them up with water, just above the bottom of the basket, so your cubes stay hydrated. You can also insert said baskets, and connect the lines to your air pump.
When all systems are go, I drop the soaked cubes inside the baskets and clear a spot for the sprouted seeds. This is the part that really sucks … especially if you’re a big-fingered, clumsy mofo who lacks any semblance of finesse. Keep in mind that these newborn plants are delicate as all fuck. One wrong move and you could literally kill them before they have a chance to grow into beautiful pot kids.
Now obviously you need to be uber cautious here. With that in mind, I dig a hole into the center of the cube with me finger, just deep enough to accommodate the length of the baby weed. Next, I drop the seed inside and manipulate the cube so the walls entrap it, but don’t bury it entirely. Basically, you want the plant to have ample room to spring up out of that there cube.
Next, run your lines from the air pump through a hole towards the bottom of the mesh basket and connect it to your air stones. If the water doesn’t immediately start to bubble, it means you have no airflow and something went wrong when attaching the lines. This is usually a simple case of a bad connection at the pump. Check your lines to make sure everything is snug and you should be good to go.
The only thing left to do is situate the buckets beneath your light(s) and wait. We’ll get into proximity later, but for now, even the tiniest bit of light will do.
Let’s Get Lit
While we play the waiting game, let’s focus more on lighting. Now in most systems, your plants will be positioned beneath a hood. I have two hanging from the ceiling by a chain and pair of ropes. If you’ve guessed that the correct distance between your lights and your plants is “it depends”, then you’re right. Those kinda answers are annoying, but it’s true in this case, mainly because we’re working with different types of lights, different wattage, and various other factors that are specific to your system.
Having said that, proximity is vitally important. Too close, and you could burn the shit out of your plants. Too far away, and you could slow down the process and limit the size of your yield. As ole Schleprock learned, you could also create a situation where your plants are tall and lanky opposed to wide and bushy. Trust me, you prefer the latter. Tall and lanky is how you end up with your kolas touching the damn ceiling. SMH.
My rule of thumb is to simply keep the light roughly 12 inches away. By now I’m comfortable eye-balling everything, but don’t hesitate to break out the trusty yard stick for an accurate measurement. If you’d like some more seasoned insights, here’s a cool article to read.
Feed ’Em, Seymour!
Once everything is up and running, the most strenuous aspect of hydro maintenance is feeding. Sure, there are nuances here and there, but the most labor-intensive involve ensuring that your girls get the proper nutrition.
I usually start the feeding cycle after the first week of life in the cube. Of course, the amount of nutrients depends on the product and where your plants are at during their growth stage. After making the mistake of overfeeding just one time, I’ve adopted the habit of staying under the recommended servings. Better safe than burning or creating a mutant plant that you have to care for until giving it the Old Yeller treatment and finally putting the thing out of its misery.
Ideally, you’ll feed on a weekly basis and slowly adjust the amounts as you move from vegetation to flowering to harvest. Whether it’s General Hydroponics or another brand, most nute solutions have easily accessible feeding charts for their specific products. Once you see how your plants react and come to understand how marijuana consumes the essentials, you may feel comfortable exploring the wider world of nutrients. Trust me, there’s a lot to cover. Some products are hella gimmicky, while others are incredibly valuable for targeted areas of plant growth.
Optional Essentials
By now, an expert grower may be calling me all sorts of amateur fucktards. After all, we’re at the end of the guide and I’ve skipped over so many critical steps. This is where I’d remind those jokers that I’m a serial shortcut taker who knows what works best for my system. With that said, I’d like to quickly outline three essential components that I consider optional.
1. Exhaust: An exhaust system works by pulling fresh air in and pushing the stale, hot ass air out. I couldn’t quite figure this one out, so probably against better judgment, I said fuck it and went without, luckily without too much backlash from the Weed Gods. Now that I have a bigger and better grow environment, I can accomplish most of this by simply opening a window.
If you can hack it, though, I highly recommend it. A good exhaust system will create ideal conditions for your grow room by not only optimizing air circulation, but maintaining healthy roots, increasing yield, and keeping plant-hungry critters at bay.
2. pH: Another key component my Cousin recommended was a pH meter. Without getting overly technical, pH determines the amount of nutrients plants are able to consume. In turn, a pH meter allows you to measure the level in the water, which can be adjusted by adding liquid solutions that bring the balance up or down.
I started out with all that stuff, but maintaining the meter itself was a pain in the ass. Like there was this weird quirk where you had to keep the tip wet (giggity) in order for it to function properly. Long story short, my meters kept breaking, and since those shits are expensive, I said fuck it (again) and went without.
3. Ppm: Closely related to pH is Parts per million, or Ppm. The Ppm level is a measure of minerals and other content in your water. Marijuana plants can only absorb so much of this content at a given time, so a Ppm meter comes in handy by letting you know exactly where you stand in that department. In other words, it helps to ensure your water meets the quality standards your plants need to maximize their nutrient intake. To further simplify things, a Ppm meter can help you manage feeding beyond the recommendations on the back of the nutrient bottle.
Lucky for me, ignoring pH and Ppm has had little to no bearing on my system. Could this have something to do with the fact that Michigan is generally known for better than average water quality (well, there’s Flint …)? Perhaps. Again, staying on top of these levels is something experts recommend for a plethora of valid reasons. For me personally, it’s an optional luxury I choose to pass on. Because I’m kinda lazy.
In Closing
Well, that’s about it. Clearly there’s a lot that goes into building an efficient hydro system, no matter how complex or simple it may be. That said, I can assure you that it’s worth every bit of blood, sweat, and F-bombs you put into the process. Once you get everything up and running, you basically transition into a monitor role where you’re occasionally checking out the situation and only stepping in when absolutely necessarily. Easy peasy, my neezy!
