I've got a DWC newbie question. If one starts seeds or clones in a chamber, and then you move the baby girl with roots into a 2" net pot, what should be the procedure for eventually getting the seedling up into a 3-6" net pot? I am a soil grower so I'm clueless here about "re-potting." I would think a tiny plant in a large netpot with hydroton would not be the right approach, but I'm no fool -- I don't know what I don't know. Can someone enlighten me? Thanks!
To see a World in a Grain of Sand, And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand, And Eternity in an hour.
― William Blake
@im_sparky, I start mine in a Rapid Rooter and when there is a root starting out the bottom I put mine in a 4" net pot and place in a 3.5 gal bucket and bring the water level up on to the net pot 1/4"- 1/2" that has clean rinsed hydroton in it. Never pot up again, just change bucket size. Don't know if it's right or wrong but it's the WoodI way. lol 👍
@woodi2 thanks! It just so happens that I have both 3 and 5 gallon buckets on hand. The lid has a 6” net pot integrated into it.
What is the advantage of a larger/smaller net pot if the roots grow into the bucket? The size of netpot does not restrict the roots like a small pot of soil, does it? I figured it would mostly serve as more weight for the hydroton to hold down the weight of a taller plant, no?
To see a World in a Grain of Sand, And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand, And Eternity in an hour.
― William Blake
What is the advantage of a larger/smaller net pot if the roots grow into the bucket?
I preferer a small net pot so that there is more water in the bucket under the net. The bigger the net pot doesn't mean big plants, the roots go straight down regardless, they don't go exploring like they do in soil.
The size of netpot does not restrict the roots like a small pot of soil, does it?
My idea is the smaller the net pot the quicker the roots hit the water, and the shorter the net pot the more water is in the bucket. So I use 4"x4", the larger nets do hold the plant a bit more steady but they get big in dwc regardless if it a little or big net, and they all will need some sort of support or tethering. It does get a lot of weight centered on that little net pot, but size doesn't matter in this case.
The lids with the integrated nets work well. But if you measure it compared to a 4' then you see how your water level is effected. I started with those for my first grow with 5 gallon buckets and grew some monsters right off the bat. Just a diy system. Keep it simple and it works best.
The size of the bucket determines more about the plant size, not the net pot.
Thanks, @woodi2. That is helpful. Now I am wondering if I should swap out my lid with the integrate 6" net pot. I chose it because it seems easy, and getting started off easy is good.
With the Hydroton, I just rinse in regular water to get them clean, then soak in pH'd water to about 5.8?
To see a World in a Grain of Sand, And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand, And Eternity in an hour.
― William Blake
@im_sparky, I would use the lids you have, it won't make a difference with the system or the out come, if you change to different nets.
Yes, rinse the dust off the Hydroton with clean PH'd water, then I soak for 3-5 days in 5.8 PH water changing the water daily. Now a lot of people don't do this and that's fine, you to can choose. But you can check the PH of the water that the Hydroton is soaking in and make your own decision.
Get'ill be great!! 😀 It's just water! 😆 Hell, every bodies got water, Right? 🤣
I agree with everything Woodi2 says. I have also been forced to nest netpots to move seedlings from one setup to another after sexing. So imagine a 2" net pot buried in an 8" net pot. Sounds weird, but worked out fine once the roots hit the water.
On the hydroton question, I have had trouble before from not being thorough enough on rinsing/Ph'ing the stuff, and I highly recommend taking that seriously to avoid wild swings in Ph, which in my experience with DWC is the root (yup, that's a pun) of so many problems.
Good luck and welcome to DWC.
The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.
- Bertrand Russell
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