2/11/98
Time:
2:56:54 PM

Comments

Is there a reliable and proven method for germinating plants in rockwool? I built my first H-garden
using rockwool and a fish pump. I planted my seed about a week ago. Is there something that I need
to do to ensure the germination process will go smoothly.
Finding guidance from the yolkals around here is difficult to come by. You can email me at
tcb@texas.net
Cheers Thomas

I like to germinate seeds in a wet napkin and then transplant the healthiest of them to the cubes
Ron.

Date:
2/12/98
Time:
3:49:15 PM

Comments

G'DAY RON AM LOOKING FOWARD TO STARTING MY HYDROPONICS GARDEN IN
QLD BY USING YOUR WEB PAGE AS A GUIDE GOODONYA MAXINE

Glad to help.
Ron

Date:
2/15/98
Time:
8:32:44 PM

Comments

If you germinate seeds with a wet napkin, could you explain to me your method for doing so?

Please email me at tcb@texas.net

Fold a paper towel twice and place the seeds between the wet towel and place it in a plastic
sandwich bag. Check them daily because they will start to germinate pretty fast. Carefully place them
in the rockwool cube when they are big enough to grab hold of.
Ron

Date:
2/16/98
Time:
12:00:43 PM

Comments

hi ron
Great idea the hydroponics conference, i will like to know wich server are you using and what e-mail
thanks

Carlos Maynard

My E-mail is hydroron@mpinet.net You can also enter my IP number under Speed Dial then edit
205.160.182.151
Just make sure defalt conference server is set right. Click Conference -then Call -then the Network
Tab and in the DLS Server box it should say netdls.four11.com and under that in the Phonebook
URL box should be http://www.four11.com/conference
Ron

Date:
2/17/98
Time:
12:56:01 AM

Comments

I just bought a co2 genarator(cd-6) for my grow room. My g-room is 6'X 10'X 8' with a 1000 watt
Hps on wheels. I think I've got my on time figured out which is 5 min's on. My question is what
should be the off time on my CO2 timer (Cycelstat). Also need any info on operating the CT-DH-3
got this control from an auction $5.00 didn't get any directions with it. If you can help please send
Email to k9s@win.net
Thanks Joe

Date:
2/19/98
Time:
10:14:27 AM

Comments

Question,
My Peppers and Onions are just beginning to sprout on my first HG. Althought I am excited about
this, I have noticed that the color is shamerock green...Is this normal? or is it a sign of something that
I need to do.
Please Email me at tcb@texas.net
Cheers

Don't panic yet as long as your plants are green. It's when they turn yellow or brown when it's time
to panic. New growth is always a lighter green. Increase the ppm of your nutrient solution when the
plants are well rooted to your medium and then see if they darken up.
Ron

Date:
2/20/98
Time:
7:46:30 PM

Comments
What is the best soil levels to use

What kind of levels are we talking about. Nutrient levels, pH levels, soil ingredients or what?

Date:
2/21/98
Time:
4:14:30 PM

Comments

Dear Ron, I am new at hydroponics and have a meter that reads in micromho/cm. how do I convert
this to ppm

The ions in your nutrient solution conduct an electric current. This conductance is expressed as a
"Mho" Since the measure of conductivity is so small, it is expressed as "milliMhos/cm," a
measurement of conductivity through one cubic centimeter of solution. And is read as ppm or
parts-per-million
Are you sure it says micro instead of milli. If so then you would have to move a decimal point one
way or the other but I don't know enough about metric to know. Maybe some members fluent in
metric can shed some light on the subject.
Ron

Date:
2/22/98
Time:
1:13:26 AM

Comments

Hi Ron new member here. I have finished your 11 pod garden and got my tomatos up and running.
There growing way fast. Got a ? about the pump for the nutrient, I have heard that leaving the pump
on 24 hours a day is a lot less stressfull on the pump and you don't save much $$ on electricity.
Would you sujest leaving the pump on all the time or cyculing it ?
Tim in West Virgina

I do let my pumps come on and off for 24 hours even though they don't need to be watered at night
because the plants can't utilize the nutrient solution without photosynthesis from the sun or your grow
lights.
The reason I leave them on is when I use timers I forget to reset them when they get out of time
when we have periodic power outages.
The best solution would be to use a photo sensor to turn the pumps on automatically when the lights
come on or when the sun comes up. I will put that on my list of online projects.
Ron

Date:
2/22/98
Time:
10:49:58 AM

Comments

Hey is anyone out there interested in having a computerized grow room or greenhouse at a very
reasonable cost? I will be offering in the summer of 98 a system that can control your irrigation, Co2
injection and fresh air intake and exhausting cycles ! All you will need is an old dos based xt, at, 286
or 386 pc with mono monitor and a printer port. This system is awesome !! Controls everything down
to seconds!!! For more info e-mail me at sdg@lonet.ca Proudly Canadian Eh......

Yes I would be very interested in more information on your system.
Ron

Date:
2/22/98
Time:
12:40:05 PM

Comments

2/22/98

question: Does fertilizer evaporate along with water in hydroponic gardening? If so, at what ratio?

answer: Yes it does evaporate and No I don't know at what ratio.
Ron

Date:
2/22/98
Time:
1:32:00 PM

Comments

Hi Ron I think I may be having a problem. I have four cucumber plants in my new garden, they are
about four weeks old and are now getting white spots on the leaves. The book I have says it is a
virus and to spray the leaves with a fungicide. Will these plants survive or will I have to start over?
Any help will be appreciated. Charles Ritter pritter@lcc.net

If the new growth is OK after you use the fungicide then they might be fine. Keep trimming old and
diseased leaves to keep it from spreading.
Ron

Date:
2/24/98
Time:
11:20:01 AM

Comments

Ron, This is my first visit to your site and I am impressed !! I would like to build the bucket system I
saw at your Live Hydro Cam. I have all the parts already. Question is, how does it work? You have
many nice photos and a very detailed parts list, but I sure could use a schematic diagram. Thanks in
advance. Dave Holder daveinbham@aol.com

I already had it half drawn so here it is. Gallon air schematic.
Ron

Date:
2/24/98
Time:
5:18:17 PM

Comments

Hi. I have some aquariums and a pump that I'm not using. Are there any sites out there that tells how
to use an aquarium and a pump for hydroponics? I never did anything related to hydroponics except
grow a potatoe in a glass filled with water. Any sites out there? I preferably like the ones with
pictures because, well, they're just easier. E-mail me at KrisM28@aol.com or if you have html
imbedded in the mail or anything fancy like that, e-mail me at KrisM29@hotmail.com. The Hotmail
one doesn't support bigness of font's, color, or stuff like that though. Thanks in advance! :- )

Date:
2/26/98
Time:
3:05:10 AM

Comments

Tay, May I know how to support the roots ( orkid,flowers etc.) May I know also the appropriate
light as Malaysia is hot the whole year . My plants become yellow when the temperature reaching 37.3
degrees C. Shall I put some shade to the top of my green house ? Thanks

Yes Here in Florida I have to use 70% grade shade cloth because of the hot sun. The experts say
you have to grow some plants like vegetables in full sunlight but I have been growing with
hydroponics under shade cloth for years.
Ron

Date:
2/26/98
Time:
11:23:34 PM

Comments

I have two 175 watt mercury vapor lamps and would like to know if they can be converted to metal
halide by using a metal light and ballast or how to do it????? Or if it can be done PLEASE reply
thanks alot. David F Connolly E-mail: bconnolly@zebra.net

No! They are not compatible. You want to burn down your house?
Ron

Date:
2/27/98
Time:
4:01:29 AM

Comments
Hello from New Zealand,
First of all thanks to a fantastic page, it is great to see a site that is so friendly and informative, well
done.
I am a total newcomer to all this, and have read a number of books and learnt a lot from reading all
the comments posted on this board.
This site has convinced me to try the 2 litre bottle method, after considering NFT and the turbo tank
(has anyone tried the turbo tank??)
At this stage I have 3 queries which may seem dumb so please forgive me!!

1, This may be a trans pacific translation problem, but you put 16oz solo cups in the bottles. What
exactly are solo cups? I presume they are the styrene disposable type thing, is this correct? also
what's the best medium to fill them with? I was going to use vermiculite with the seedlings grown in
rockwool.

The 16 oz solo cups are made of plastic not Styrofoam. Solo Cups is the brand name. Just look
for any plastic cup that will fit in the 2 liter bottle
I wouldn't use strait vermiculite because is does brake down and packs to tightly. I would use Perlite
because it last longer if you can't get grow rocks.

2, what size holes should i put in the cups? I have read that vermiculite breaks down so do i run the
risk of it leaking out of the cups? Also what size hole do you drill in the bottle top caps?

The holes can be as small as they need to be to keep the medium from flowing out the holes.
The hole in the bottle cap can be any size that will let the water fill the bottle. 3/8, 1/2.

3, I have a friend who used to grow lettuces for a bit of pocket money, he says he had about 10
plants a day maturing to sell. What sort of numbers of plants would you need to have growing to
produce this result? If i was to grow lettuces is your bottle system best of NFT.

That's hard to say but lettuce doesn't need much room to grow so put your bottles close together
like 8 inches from center bottle to center bottle to save space.

I am planning to grow indoors using a fish tank thermostat and lights.
Thanks for any assistance.
Andrew
adengel@voyager.co.nz

Date:
2/27/98
Time:
3:35:11 PM

Comments

Hello! I need your help! I am in love with my best-friend's boyfriend,and he likes me more than her,
but he doesn't want to hurt her feelings by breaking up!!!! What Should I Do?????? _

Being a dirty old man the only thing that comes to my mind is "ménage a' trios" aka (three-some).

Date:
3/2/98
Time:
4:54:31 AM

Comments

Ron,
Andrew from New Zealand here again. Thank you for your reply.
Do you sell your wares, grow rocks, bottles etc to overseas customers?
Thanks again
Andrew

UPS charges from $175.00 to $200.00 for 25 pounds which makes the shipping more than the
products cost. I will try and find a cheaper way.

Date:
3/2/98
Time:
4:52:19 PM

Comments

I made my own hydro-system.The nutrients flow from a rubber-maid container into two pots filled
with that white volcanic growing medium. I'm growing jalopeno peppers in one pot and the other dill
and cilantro. Should I set the watering for 24 hours a day or intermittent waterings. It seems the
water flows right threw the grow rocks to the reservoir. The plants seem to be doing fine but I was
wondering if watering them longer would increase growth. I'm using a 250 watt HPS about a foot
and a half away from them.
Thanks

I water for 24 hours for the convenience of it but you don't have to because without photosynthesis
during the day your plants can't utilize the nutrients. The plants will use only what it needs and the rest
will return to the tank for reuse.
Ron

Date:
3/3/98
Time:
9:24:15 AM

Comments

could you please introduce growtech hydroponics uk with projects conserning hydroponic Biodomes
growtech@globalnet.co.uk

Here's growtech!

Date:
3/3/98
Time:
6:41:16 PM

Comments

Hi!

I just wanted to tell you another very cheap way of making hydroponics. Kids can do this with some
supervision and it has most items in the house. First, take an aluminum roasting pan, then cover it
with a large durable trash bag that has been cut to about one inch from the edge of the pan. Staple
the plastic tightly to the pan and then tape over(masking tape or any other large durable tape) the
staple. Restaple. Get 6 aluminum cans (soda cans), Cut the bottom to form an "X" push down the
flaps. Next, push down the can tab(you can tape the tab if you want). Then puncture the can four
times to allow nutrient mixture to seep in. Cut holes in the roasting pan make sure that they allow the
cans to fit snuggly. Make another small hole to place a PVC pipe into it. Drill the pipe at one inch
intervals, this will make your water measurment. Place the cans 3 in a row and the PVC pipe
somewhere in the middle. Fill the cans with the media of your choice and make the water nutrient.
You can use 1 teaspoon of hydrofertilizer in a gallon of water. Change the system once a week, and
then during the week, if the water runs low, fill with normal water. Try it! It is really fun and keeps
the\ kids busy!

Yea Just keep an eye on what the kids are growing

Date:
3/4/98
Time:
3:10:06 PM

Comments

Hello! I was just wondering if there are any inexpensive solutions or household products that I can
add to my water to decrease the salinity from about 8.5 to 6.0-6.5. Thanks!

You can use sulfuric acid (battery acid);
nitric acid;
hydrochloric acid (muriatic acid) used to treat swimming pools;
but these are very toxic and should be used with caution.
The safest to use is acetic acid better known as vinegar but not for long periods because it can be toxic to plants over time.
Ron

Date:
3/6/98
Time:
12:20:13 PM

Comments

I am building a hydroponic unit for school and need a plan for it, I was windering where i could get
an inexpensive and possiably free plans for a unit that will cost little money if none andis their any
companies tha twill donate free supplies to me for my agrigulture department class-horticulture in the
greenhouse <blink>I need Plans<blink\> bmclain@hotmail.com Jeff

Date:
3/6/98
Time:
3:38:07 PM

Comments

Brilliant, Information. This site is a very noble effort. It made me "hunt down" a dc timer.
http://www.mindspring.com/~kes/timer.htm
I'll keep looking, this was jus' my first stab.
rweiss@americasttv.com (Hollywood, CA)

Thanks You have just solved a lot of my timer problems with your brilliant find. You please keep up
the noble work.
Ron

Date:
3/7/98
Time:
11:35:31 AM

Comments

Hi, It Rey from NC, I was reading some of the ? and saw a lot about watering 24 hours for
convenience. My ? is, if you do that, and the roots are submerge in medium 24 hours, won't this keep
the roots from getting oxygen therefore killing the plant. Please explain. Ps Have you got your green
house kit ready jet.

Hi Rey
Even though the plants are in the medium 24 hours it is watered in ether drip from the top or water
from the bottom in cycles. About ever 15 minutes. That's why a good cycle timer is important.
Ron

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