How To Setup Irrigation and Fertilize for Rockwool Grown Cannabis in 2023

[@rigobp1133]

Hi Matt, do you need to maintain the water reservoir at a specific temperature?

[@cannabisscience]

Great question. Yes, try to keep the water temperature below 75F with ideal around 68F.

[@rigobp1133]

@ Thank you so much!! Any recommendations to maintain the water in optimal conditions? I just getting ready everything to start my next growth in Rockwool.

[@cannabisscience]

Personally, I just keep my irrigation reservoir outside my grow room in the hallway that stays between 68F and 75F. The water temperature is basically the same as outside air temperature. If you run into a problem of your water getting too hot then you can always get a water chiller. If too cold then there are these drop in reservoir heaters that are like 2 foot rods or so that will help maintain a warmer temperature.

[@rigobp1133]

@@cannabisscience Thank you so much!! 🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@pxbroccoli]

Great info! Do you use any sodium hypochlorite product to prevent biofilm?

[@cannabisscience]

Thanks so much! I currently do not, but am thinking of adding it at some point.

[@SetTheCurve]

Keep light and organic nutrients away from your reservoir and you will not see a biofilm in my experience. Nothing beyond what the occasional cleaning wouldn't take care of. If you're doing recirculating dwc or something like that though, all bets are off; you'll get a biofilm but be careful what you do about it because roots can be killed by hypochlorite too, and it's not far off from what's needed to kill the film. I have noticed that if you get algae in your tank because it was exposed to light then a few doses of hypochlorite are good to take care of it, but the real solution is to prevent light from reaching the reservoir.

[@siro4194]

How do you proceed when the tanks are getting empty with those kind of pumps? Are they able to empty it fully or do you have to throw away a small portion of the water?

[@cannabisscience]

Thanks for the great question. My pump is able to pull until there is about 3-4 inches of water left at the bottom. I don't like to run these pumps too dry for too long. I leave the 4ish gallons left at the bottom and just refill the water and add new fertilizer. Every 3 months I fully drain and clean out my reservoir and irrigation equipment.

[@lucascutler2908]

If you’re strictly growing in rockwool, u should check out the 2 part salt pro line from Athena Ag. (The blended line they offer is quite overpriced and is directed to small scale RDWC/ebb and flow systems whereas the pro salt line is suited for top down feeding which is ideal for rockwool) Been using them for few months since I switched from coco/soil mix to rockwool, consistently feeding at 3.0 EC sometimes 3.5 EC without ZERO burn whatsoever. I pH at 5.8, occasionally feed at 5.9-6.0 as my pH drifts but any higher it’s back to 5.8. It’s the absolute easiest and highest quality program I’ve ran. They also offer a physical handbook that gives info into every crook and crevice, plus specific details on the use of their products with netafim/ Dosatron systems. Pretty fuckin stellar 🤘🏻🪐

[@cannabisscience]

Thanks for the great comment and I have checked out all the Athena lines before. Athena has a great product in their Pro line-up, which is designed and formulated for cannabis production.

[@SetTheCurve]

Athena doesn’t compare to jacks for veg, not even close. And in flower jacks consistently yields more although in my experience maybe a little less dense. Jacks wins in my book. Less expensive too.

[@DrozoneGrowShow]

Cardboard teps Don't Follow the Bàndwagon Athena Sux. House and Garden For Indoor Frosty Dank and Flavors Alot of grows in The bay Using H&G

[@SetTheCurve]

at what ppm would you not be willing to use tap water?

[@cannabisscience]

IMO I would stay away from tap water if it had greater than 0.4 EC

[@BULLROTBASEL]

🔥🔥👍🏼

[@demonictutor5661]

What is your shot size (% or mL) with that 1 minute shot?

[@cannabisscience]

Each one of my 1 gallon per hour emitters puts out 100 mls per 1 minute irrigation timer length or "shot". Shot times are typically longer early flower and get shorter toward late flower.

[@EddieOrdo]

so you dissolve your powders before mixing?

[@cannabisscience]

Yes

[@EddieOrdo]

How much water do you use ?

[@MrRobot_307]

Whay size drippers do you use?

[@cannabisscience]

1 Gallon per hour

[@Chgm2010]

you could use some aminoacids instead of agsil to buffer the ph, protect aganist stress

[@cannabisscience]

interesting...please elaborate what amino acids do

[@SetTheCurve]

Amino acids are an organic which typically isn’t used in pressure compensated irrigation systems because of clogging and line fouling.

[@EddieOrdo]

What do you use for vegging

[@cannabisscience]

I use the same fertilizer mix. Usually, I just add 20% more 15-0-0 to the vegging fertilizer since N is crucial during this stage.

[@WonderlandNursery]

So this nutrient mix for flower only? ​@@cannabisscience

[@srryan1]

What EC you feed for veg?

[@cannabisscience]

EC during veg is usually 1.8 to 2 EC. Last 3-5 days before they get put into flower room I raise the EC to 2.4-2.6 which is closer to the flower EC of 2.6-2.8. pH always 5.5-5.8 no matter what stage.

[@lucascutler2908]

Depends on what line of salts ur using. I’m running Athena pro line 2 part and can feed consistently between 3.0-3.5 EC without zero issues of burn. Like everything, quality varies. Higher quality salts will not burn at higher EC’s. Poor grade salts will.

[@Androbench]

@@lucascutler2908Athena is cheap salts bro lol

[@Kevin.Bellotti]

Is the system run to waste?

[@cannabisscience]

Yes, drain to waste. Check out my latest video where I talk more about my setup.

[@doveseye.4666]

So if you turn it on 1 minute then off and this happens every hour then how much do they get in that 1 minute, say it gets 100 ml every minute then in 10 hours they would get 1000 ml and in 12 hours that would be just over 1000 ml by getting 200 ml more? I am asking because i don’t have the brain anymore for working all those nutrients numbers, PH etc and I’m in a wheelchair and my hands don’t work very well so forget all those tubes and fittings being worked on and a 50 gallon anything is not happening, hell I can’t even close my tent so humidity, temperatures pffft, I use 9’’ slabs with 4 ‘’ starters because they a lighter but I know nothing about them. I currently use Mantis Buffered Nutrients because it’s one bottle entire grow, no PH work because it’s buffered and there is no schedule just use with tap water when the plants are thirsty in a 5’x5’ tent with Migro 600 and my plants grow taller than me leaving me unable to measure light, height or even look at the buds, I am thinking of creating a Tip Pot, the thing I am trying to do is get the watering right and i got to do it by hand.

[@cannabisscience]

Thanks for telling me about your situation and challenges in growing. With your limitations may I offer a suggestion of growing style that may be way easier for you to achieve great results but more designed for you to handle in a wheelchair? My suggestion would be to grow smaller plants in like 3 or 4 inch rockwool blocks, but have many of them to fill your grow tray. Keep the plants shorter and flip them into flower quickly. A "sea of green " style. You could also just flood the tray with fertilizer water by hand or setup a flood and drain reservoir.

[@doveseye.4666]

@@cannabisscience sorry, but you didn’t answer the question, I have no choice I can only water by hand, if I want to get a grow going now and I do o badly, I mean I dragged a houseplant into my tent, thats says I am desperate, I was thinking to add water until the slab lets the water go than take that amount and get it to do that say in 4 increments until it comes out, I was thinking by the third fourth it should show signs of coming out the slab, i have a brand new auto-pot set, unopened, also a new Master-Controller, and even a new Air-wand top imitator rings, blah, blah blah, my biggest struggle would be just getting the box open. I don’t want to be told to go to kindergarten growing because I can’t compete with you because your healthy, I can’t open 6 or 7 or 8 bottles just to grow so thats why I mentioned Mantis Nutrients, I did my homework they have spent millions on figuring out this product which is especially designed for home and commercial grows, ten different cultivars/plants one bottle. I grow in slabs because I can lift the entire plant one handed, I would never trap myself in a sea of green, how would I reach the back and to search out low, stunted type of growing is depressing to even think about, I grow Sugar Black Rose and 11 Roses because they are fast photo and have less leaves, I am thinking to compete. Thanks again.

[@labootosgarden8823]

that is not a 50 gallon res its i think 32 gallon

[@cannabisscience]

It's a 44 gallon Brute Rubbermaid trash can. I fertilize at 50 gallons rate and fill up the 44 gallon trash can to about 38 gallons.