HYDROPONICS
THE GROWER AND THE GROWING MEDIUM
You now know that plants need a base material, called the medium that
holds nutrients and minerals, drains well and allows air to get to the
roots. As you begin to experiment with soil types and mixtures, you may
want to investigate the use of alternative mediums to soil, such as rockwool,
clay pebbles and other artificial grow mediums.
In the early days of experimenting with artificial grow mediums growers
discovered that the roots didn't always respond well to the 'soil-less'
medium. Then, someone had the bright idea of creating a small unit to
hold water and nutrients separate from the plant and medium. The roots
then accessed the water after they grew down through the medium. Plants
respond quite well to the use of a soil-less medium in conjunction with
this new design, which became the basic model for all hydroponics systems.
Hydroponics is a very successful way of growing marijuana if you're looking
for large bud quantities or bud all year long. Hydroponics is the technique
of growing plants without soil in beds of sand, gravel or artificial mediums
that are flooded with a nutrient solution.
Hydroponics is a highly popular cannabis cultivation technique, however
new growers should note that it does require a certain degree of maintenance
and expertise. If a hydroponics system is not well maintained the whole
unit can fail and kill your plants very quickly. This is the biggest problem
that the hydroponic grower has to contend with. On the other hand, the
results can be simply incredible!
PERPETUAL GROW CYCLES
The objective of the perpetual grow cycle is to keep most of your plants
flowering at all times. This means that you'll have an equal amount of
plants in the vegetative growth and flowering stages at any given time.
In essence, half of the grow is in its vegetative growth stage and the
other half is in its flowering stage of the life cycle.*
CUSTOMIZING ADVANCED SETUPS
As you can guess all of the advanced grow methods mentioned in this chapter
can be customized. Many cannabis cultivators have turned entire rooms
into ScrOG or SOG grows. For those who are happy with four ounces of dried
bud every month a small SOG or cabinet grow is the best choice. For those
who want a bigger yield that lasts all year a large ScrOG grow may be
considered. When conditions are at their optimum potential, ScrOG growers
can produce up to 30 or even 50 ounces of marijuana every two months in
a medium sized room. For 30 ounces you would need roughly 30 square feet
of space. That is a 5 x 6 foot room with one plant per square foot.
An expert's indoor grow room might also include the following advanced
features:
• Several vertically suspended HIDs lights
• Roof, walls and floor covered in reflective material (flat white
paint or Mylar) and completely lightproof
• All lighting fixtures would meet at a junction box on the wall
• Ballasts would also be attached to the wall
• Plants placed in large containers
• Multiple air ducts and extraction fans would remove the hot air
and replace it with fresh air.
• Activated Carbon Filters installed to minimize cannabis odor
• C02 generator to maximize yield
• Electrical generator to power equipment
If you are like the growers who contributed to this book, you will be
continually experimenting to make the best use of your grow space. The
room will become an intense hobby area and a most rewarding one too. In
time you may even begin to learn more about plant genetics and start to
develop some strains from your own breed and stock, perhaps even entering
competitions or producing some of the finest seeds available on the market.
For an in-depth look at breeding and genetics, turn to Chapter 15.
Hydroponics, when done correctly, can produce a flowering plant in only
3/4 of the normal time it would take with a soil grow. That’s right!
Hydroponics can grow bigger and better buds in 3/4 the time it takes to
grow the same strain in soil.
HYDROPONIC SYSTEMS
A simple hydroponic system consists of a pot, a reservoir, a grow medium,
a pump and a complete set of nutrients. The system is set up in two layers:
the top layer holds the grow medium and the bottom layer holds the water
with added nutrients. The plant is grown in the medium where it will develop
a stem and a set of roots. The roots will grow through the medium and
down into the nutrient solution. Water and nutrients are pumped into the
lower portion of the tank through a reservoir at timed intervals. The
plants drink the solution and expose their roots to the air. If this is
timed correctly and the growing solution is maintained properly, the plants
will flourish. This is because the plant can devote the energy it would
normally spend using its roots to search for water, air and nutrients,
towards upper growth. That said, hydroponic systems produce massive root
clusters. One can easily pick up a three-gallon bucket full of root growth
from a single plant. This is because roots thrive in hydroponic systems.
There are many different hydroponic systems that can be easily made by
hand or are available commercially as complete kits. Those that are most
commonly used are briefly described below.
Nutrient Film Technique (NFT)
NFT systems are usually bought as all-in-one hydroponic tray systems.
In other words, the reservoir that holds the pumps and nutrient solution
is contained in the same system although the grower can separate it if
they wish. NTF systems are generally very flat and long but some are sloping
in their design to allow the nutrients to run towards and through the
plant roots and medium. The unused nutrients are recycled to create a
constant flow of nutrients to the roots and back into the reservoir.
In an NFT system the plants sit on a rockwool slab that is cut to meet
the NFT tray's length and width. Most NFT systems come with a lid that
divides the space between the medium and solution to allow root growth
for you. You should use this as a guide for how thick your rockwool slab
should be.
Some NFT systems do not use a rockwool slab. Instead, the trays have
holes in the lid where xnet pots' should sit. A net pot is a plastic pot
with lots of holes in the sides and a base that allows roots to grow out
from the gaps and down into the nutrient solution. NClay pebbles' are
the most popular medium used by growers in conjunction with these pots
because they are very good at supporting cannabis stems and tend not to
escape through the net pots into the nutrient solution like vermiculite
or perlite does.
Flood & Drain/Ebb & Flow
The flood & drain, also known as ebb & flow, system is another
all-in-one system that is easily distinguished from other types of hydroponic
systems by its greater depth. The grow medium is located above the reservoir,
which delivers the nutrients and water to the roots at a set time and
at a fixed rate. This means that throughout the day the plant will go
through spells of dryness as the nutrients flow down through the roots
and back into the reservoir again. The rate of flood and drain is measured
so that the nutrient solution does not overflow the apparatus. An overflow
hole in the system also helps to control flow, by allowing the nutrients
to spill back into the nutrient reservoir.
The nutrient solution is pumped into the medium and is slowly drained
back into the reservoir again. The whole unit recycles the nutrient solution
at timed intervals. These systems are generally flat to ensure that the
nutrients find their way to all the plants. If it where slopped there
would be an increased chance of some of the plants not receiving any nutrients
at all.
Some systems have a separate reservoir, which sits under the system.
A hose connects the reservoir to the system and a pump is used to push
the nutrients from the reservoir and into the system, where it will flow
back down into reservoir again. This setup requires less pumping than
an NFT system: in some cases, pumping nutrients to the plants only two
or three times a day.
Drip Irrigation
Drip irrigation works much like the ebb & flow method, except that
the nutrients are moved to and from the plants much more slowly via a
dripper. In most setups, each plant is located in a separate chamber within
the system. The nutrients are fed to the medium through a small dripper,
which regulates the nutrient flow to and from the reservoir.
Most drip irrigation systems include separate compartments for plants
to ensure that each plant receives nutrients. Some drip irrigation systems
do not have separate chambers and, instead, plants are placed together
in the same tray. In this kind of setup you must ensure that the nutrient
solution reaches the base of the plants, where it can be distributed evenly
to all of the plants in the tray. In drip irrigation systems, plants receive
ample amounts of air and nutrients together, causing them to flourish
in a well-maintained growing environment.
Aeroponics
Aeroponics is a branch of hydroponics that has steadily been developing
into a field of its own. These systems are generally expensive and are
used by professional growers. The unit itself is easily recognizable by
its unique design, which uses tubes. The plants are grown in a medium
that is placed into slots along a lengthy tube. The tubes can run anywhere
from 1 to 20 meters in length. Inside the tube are nozzles that mist the
roots of each plant with grow nutrients at regular intervals. The reservoir,
which contains nutrients, is kept outside of the tube in a tank. The nutrients
are pumped from the tank to the nozzles and then the remaining solution
that drips from the plants is drained into another tank that is normally
checked before being reused again.
Wick
The Wick System is one of the easiest hydroponic systems to make because
it relies on a simple wick (or multiple wicks) to absorb nutrients from
a reservoir and deliver them into the growing medium. In a Wick System,
the nutrient solution is held in a reservoir (a nutrient solution container)
above which another container (the grow container) is placed. The grow
container holds rockwool, or another type of soil-less substrate, and
the plants.
Building the system is simple. Before you add the substrate and plants,
make several holes in the bottom of the grow container. Push the wicks
down through the holes into the nutrient solution below. Something as
simple as cotton strips from an old T-shirt can be used as wicks. The
tops of the wicks are secured in place in the grow container to guarantee
that the nutrients absorbed are evenly distributed to all areas of the
substrate. This ensures that your plants have access to adequate nutrients
and water.
Less sophisticated than other hydroponic systems, the Wick System does
not offer growers much control over the rate of feeding. In a Wick System,
capillary action causes the nutrient solution to travel upwards along
the wick. The problem with capillary action is that the amount of time
it takes for the nutrients to travel up the wick and into your medium
may be much less than the time it takes for your plants to use up those
nutrients. To control nutrient delivery to your plants, you need to either
add wicks to or remove wicks from your system. If you use too many wicks
you risk over watering or overfeeding your plants. If you find that you
need to add more nutrients and water quickly then you should hand water
the medium from above. Wick System growers often have to hand water to
compensate for slow capillary action of the wicks.
Gravity
The Gravity System is another hydroponic system that is easy to make.
Aptly named, it relies on gravitational forces to deliver nutrient solution
into your substrate and feed your plants. Gravity Systems are either sloped
or horizontal.
In a sloped system, the nutrients are held in a reservoir above the grow
container and are allowed to flow from the reservoir to the grow container,
where they will naturally flow downwards through the substrate to the
plant roots. The solution is then delivered to another reservoir on the
other end of the grow container. When the nutrients have completely run
out of the original reservoir it is swapped around with one full of nutrient
solution and the process is repeated again as needed.
The horizontal system works in much the same way except that there is
only one reservoir that is moved manually from an upward position (where
nutrients drain out) to a downward position (where the nutrients are captured)
after it is emptied into the grow container.
In both types of Gravity System, the reservoirs and containers should
each be equipped with a tap so that the nutrients are allowed a certain
amount of time in the substrate before being released back into the reservoir
again. Some advanced gravity systems uses pumps to feed nutrients from
the catching reservoir back into the original reservoir again.
Automatic Hydroponic Pots and Manual Hydroponic Pots These are pots that
are used for growing one plant at a time. In each pot, a pump delivers
the nutrients (or they are manually fed by hand) into the bottom of the
pot until the nutrients reach the roots. The roots then drink as much
as they can until they're dry. Once the roots are exposed, the pot is
fed again with more nutrient solution. These units are good for the grower
who wishes to grow one or bigger, bushy cannabis plants in a simple stand-alone
unit — however they do require lots of supervision to ensure that
they do not dry out for too long.
SETTING UPTHE HYDROPONIC ENVIRONMENT Hydroponic Nutrients
Nutrients are the most important part of your hydroponic setup. Nutrient
solutions come in a number of different forms. It is vital to check that
the solution you use is the best for your type of plant and setup. Some
solutions should only} be used with soil as they contain the wrong elements
for hydroponic use. There are soil-based supplements/fertilizers and then
there are hydroponic nutrients.
Most hydroponic nutrient solutions are complete nutrient solutions, meaning
that they provide every element and compound needed for proper plant growth.
Because of this, hydroponic nutrients can be pricey. Always spend your
money on the correct nutrients because shortcuts can be expensive in more
ways than one: they could lead to total devastation of your crop. In a
hydroponic system especially, plants are entirely dependent on you, the
grower, for nutrients and an imbalance in the system can quickly kill
all of your plants.
Hydroponic nutrients come in single and multiple packs, described below.
Single Packs
If all the required nutrients are contained in a single pack, there is
a chance that the elements will combine and precipitate in the pack. This
can cause the solution to become unbalanced, making it useless to you
and your plants. Keeping this in mind, get a complete nutrient solution
that is contained in several bottles called twin or triple packs.
One brand, called Formulex®, has managed to hold all the elements
in a single pack using certain chemicals to prevent precipitation. This
pack is very good for starting clones or seeds in a rockwool SBS tray
and can be used in soil grows as well.
Twin/Triple Packs For best results, the hydroponic grower should consider
atwin or even a triple pack. Basically, in these multi-packs, the chemicals
are separated in order to prevent precipitation. Optimum, Power Gro, Ionic,
Earth Juice and General Hydroponics (G.H.) Flora Series are the most common
multi-part nutrient solutions. The most popular one for cannabis cultivation
is the G.H.
Flora Series, a three-part system with Gro, Micro and Bloom components.
An experienced grower can adjust these nutrients to get optimum performance
from their plants. These packs have instructions on the bottles as to
how to mix the nutrients in water at different strengths, according to
the grower's needs.
THE CANNABIS GROW BIBLE
The Hydroponic Growing Medium
There are many hydroponic mediums to choose from. Rockwool is probably
the most popular, is easy to work with and comes in either slabs or cubes.
The cubes vary in size from one to six inches cubed. The slabs can be
cut to suit the shape of your pot or container.
Rockwool
Many growers like to use the cubes for seed germination and for rooting
cuttings. This seems to be the easiest method. Many growers claim that
rockwool should be pre-soaked for 24 hours in water with a pH level of
5.6 (7.0 for soil grows), in order to stabilize the pH level of the rockwool.
This is a picture of rockwool in various forms. You can see slabs and
cubes in this picture. Grow Dan is a popular brand of rockwool.
Expanded Clay Pellets Expanded clay pellets are also called 'grow rocks'
and come in a variety of different sizes. They are an ecologically sustainable
medium, usually manufactured into round shapes by baking clay in a rotary
kiln at very high temperatures (at these temperatures clay will pop like
popcorn becoming porous). They are also inert, pH-neutral and contain
no nutrients. They are good for use in hydroponic systems, as they add
needed support to the cannabis plants' stems. Clay pellets are full of
tiny air pockets, which make them light. Most clay pellets will float.
Clay pellets can also be reused. Just mix 10ml of Hydrogen Peroxide with
1 gallon of water and let them steep in the mix for a few minutes before
drying them out. After a few hours they should be ready for reuse. Expanded
clay pellets tend to be a bit more expensive that most other soil-less
substrates but the fact that they can be reused makes this extra expense
worthwhile. They can be used on their own as a growing medium in a hydroponic
system but are quick draining and so they should be mixed with another
substrate when used with soil or soil-less based growing techniques.
Oasis Cubes
Oasis® cubes also come in several formats, including Horticubes®
and Rootcubes®. They are like rockwool cubes but are made from different
materials. Prior to use, Oasis cubes should be completely saturated with
water. If you use a tray to soak them, you can drain away the excess water
by tilting the tray over on its side, leaving about an eighth of an inch
of water in the tray. Feel the weight of the tray — it should feel
heavy. Oasis holds a lot of water! Like rockwool, growers can expect a
high success rate using Oasis cubes. Oasis should never be allowed to
completely dry out.
Coconut Fiber
Coconut fiber provides added protection from root diseases and fungus
infestation. It also contains natural rooting hormones. Coconut fiber
comes dry and compressed usually in block format. It must be re-hydrated
to a texture similar to that of wet ground coffee. When re-hydrated, most
of the compressed blocks expand to roughly nine times their original size.
Coconut fiber can also be pur chased in different thickness and lengths
of mats (1/2 inch thick and 24 to 36 inch widths). These mats are very
suitable for hydroponic systems as they can be placed directly into the
tray without requiring much shaping. Coconut fiber also retains moisture,
which helps to prevent the roots from drying out between watering cycles.
Soil-less Mixes
Soil-less mixes are pre-packaged bags of combinations of soil-less substrates.
The soil-less substrates and ratios used are usually printed on the bag.
They can include the following: vermiculite, screened peat, peat, perlite,
composted bark, fine silica sand, quartz, construction grade sand and
coconut fibers. Most growers prefer to prepare their own soil-less mixes
because it is cheaper and offers them more control.
Perlite is the name for a naturally occurring silicon-based rock. Perlite
is distinguished from other rocks by its ability to expand to up to twenty
times its original size when heated. This increase is due to water present
in the raw rock. When heated, the rock pops like popcorn into large pieces
of nutrient- and water-retaining puffy perlite. Perlite is a form of natural
glass and is graded as chemically inert. It usually has a neutral pH of
7.
ANALYSIS OF PERLITE « ELEMENT %
7.2 3.0 0.6 0.6 0.2 47.5 3.5 33.8 3.4 0.2 100.0
Aluminum
Bound water
Calcium
Iron
Magnesium
Oxygen
Potassium
Silicon
Sodium
Trace elements
TOTAL
"Some elements subject to change.
Vermiculite
Vermiculite is the name given to 'hydrated laminar magnesium-aluminum-iron-silicate'.
When heated, vermiculite expands into worm-like pieces (the name ver-miculite
comes from the Latin 'vermiculare' which means to breed worms). These
pieces can expand up to thirty times their own size. This makes vermiculite
a good water- and nutrient-retaining material for horticultural use.
ANALYSIS OFVERMICULITE%*
ELEMENT % 30.6 14.4 19.7
Silicon
Aluminum
Magnesium
Calcium
Potassium
Tron
Titanium
Water
Trace elements
TOTAL
4.3
5.1
9.9
3.2
11.8
1.0
100.0
•Some elements subject to change.
PREPARING NUTRIENT SOLUTIONS
Always follow the instructions on the products and dilute to the strength
that best suits your strain. All you need is a container in which to mix
the nutrient solution and the nutrients themselves. Each of the packs
should have A, B and C written on them and this method of tagging is used
to calculate the mixture instruction on the label. A usually represents
the primary nutrients, B the secondary nutrients and C the micronutrients.
In some cases, A represents the vegetative food, B the flowering food
and C either the secondary nutrients or a secondary and micronutrient
mixture. Check your pack for specific details.
In most cases the mixture is about 3.5 ml of each (A, B and C) per liter
of water. This is called a 100 percent strength mixture if you follow
the instructions on the pack.
Hydroponic pH
After you have mixed your nutrient solution you'll want to take a pH reading
of it.
Just as in soil growing, you may need to adjust your pH level; however
you do not adjust pH to the same levels. For hydroponics, you will need
a pH up and pH down adjusting solution. These are relatively inexpensive
and can be added to your solution to balance the pH level. Cannabis plants
in a soil system like a pH of 7, but in hydroponic systems they like a
pH of 5.2 to 6.3. You'll discover it is easier to maintain a pH range
than a set level. Check your hydroponic pH level as often as you can,
as the pH level can change very quickly in hydroponic systems.
'«« ———-^•CKM.™
pH UP m PH DOWN
pH up and pH down products for hydroponic use.
Algae
Algae is part of a large group of non-vascular, mainly aquatic cryptogams
capable of photosynthesis. Always keep your container away from exposure
to direct light, as algae will grow if you do not. Most hydroponic kits
are manufactured to be lightproof* to eliminate this problem. If you built
your own system, like the bubbler described later in this chapter, then
you will want to keep your solution sealed from the light using thick
black tape to cover the lid and the entire reservoir. This will help prevent
algae from growing in your system. A thick, black garbage bag also works
well to keep the light out and algae from forming.
If you notice algae growth then you will need to clean your system. Wash
the unit and replace the nutrient solution with a fresh mix. Throw out
all old algae-infested nutrients. Also try to find the source of the light
leak and patch it up.
Grow and Bloom
Some of the double nutrient packs come in two different sets: grow and
bloom. The grow solution is used during the plants' vegetative growth
stage and the bloom is used during the flowering stage. The bloom formulas
contain more phos phorus and potassium and less nitrogen. Other packs
have a complete all-in-one function, but beware; they may lack important
nutrients or minerals.
A Word about Nutrient Strengths
When nutrients are mixed at full strength, cannabis has a tendency to
suffer from chemical burn. It's suggested that when using any hydroponic
formulations with cannabis you do so in moderation for your first grow.
Many cannabis growers have bought these products anticipating the production
of great big buds only to get great big plant burns.
In fact, even medium-strength formulas have the power to burn your plants.
Consult the information on the packs, but in general 3.5 ml of A, B and
C per liter is called 100 percent strength. The same amount mixed with
two liters or of water is 50 percent strength. Marijuana can grow very
well with nutrient solutions of between 30 and 50 percent. It's best to
start off with 30 percent strength and then increase as needed. You'll
be surprised at how rich a bud content you'll produce with a nutrient
strength of only 30 percent.
The most common problem associated with hydroponics is plant burns. I
have rarely heard of anyone underfeeding plants in a hydro system. I have
heard plenty of reports about overfeeding plants in hydro systems. Over
time you'll get to know your strain and what it likes. The better you
know your strain the better you'll be able to control the feeding amounts.
CONTROLLING THE HYDROPONIC ENVIRONMENT Monitoring Recycle Systems
Depending on the setup you're using, you may find it beneficial to recycle
your water and nutrient solution. As the plants extract nutrients and
minerals from the solution it will be depleted of its resources over time.
For this reason we must understand how to monitor nutrients so that we
know when to recycle and when to replace the solution. Monitoring systems
are a bit expensive. If you have a pip reader, also known as a total dissolved
solids (TDS) meter, you can understand how much of your nutrients have
been used and how much more you need to add to reach the optimal nutrient
level. All reservoirs will become unbalanced and need replenishing. As
a general rule, an initial amount is used to fill the reservoir. As the
plants use up the solution, top up the reservoir to maintain a constant,
appropriate level. If you start with 10 gallons of solution then you need
to top up to that total of 10 gallons every few days.
If you don't have a pip reader you can still grow a good crop using hydroponics,
but it takes practice to get it right. If a hydroponic grower doesn't
have a pip reader they tend to replace the reservoir more often instead
of topping it up. That way the grower is certain that the new solution
contains everything the plants need. If you have a pip reader, you only
need to top off the reservoir as needed. These readers can be expensive,
but over time they'll help save money on the cost of pricey hydroponic
nutrients.
Hard Water Problems
Hard water is the most common problem found in domestic water supplies.
Water is classified as 'hard' if it contains minerals other than H20 in
amounts above 1 G PG (grain per gallon). Soft water contains minerals
other than H20 in amounts below 1 GPG. Very hard water reaches levels
above 7 GPG.
If you observe scales forming in your reservoir or what looks like kettle
rust then you haven't been maintaining your pH level in the correct range.
Minerals will build up into grains in the solution causing it to become
'hard'. Your local water company can provide you with a readout on your
water. You can also buy nutrient products to use with hard water. If scaling
persists just drain and clean your reservoir and mix a new batch of nutrients
to the correct pH level. Some growers use a reverse osmosis water-filtering
system to clean their tap water, producing distilled water that has a
stable pH level of 7.0.
When to Add More Nutrients
Beginners should rely on a ppm meter, but a veteran grower learns to read
the plant. The plant will reveal if it is has too much, too little or
just enough nutrients. It takes a few grows to learn to read the plant
and this is part of growing experience. The plant may have siphoned all
the nutrients or just some of them. Some nutrients are taken up by the
plant and stored until it needs more. A top up can be done if you don't
want to change the reservoir completely.
If you don't have a ppm meter to calculate nutrient levels accurately,
simply record your nutrient mix ratio from day one. Let's say you used
3.5 ml of A, B and C in a one-liter container, [f the plant has used 1/2
liter, all you need is to make another liter of 3.5-ml mix in another
container and add 1/2 of that to the reservoir. This is a simple way of
doing it, but you're left with 1/2 liter of solution. By doing your math
and making a mixing chart, you can mix different amounts as needed. Every
now and again you will need to mix a fresh batch of nutrient because topping
up becomes increasingly inaccurate over a period of time.
AFFORDABLE HYDROPONICS
Growing using hydroponics is not rocket science. It's a simple process
that varies slightly depending on what kind of setup you choose. Most
of the nutrient mixes are explained on the packs. If you follow the instructions
and remember that cannabis only needs 30 to 50 percent strength nutrients
then you'll do just fine.
Over the years, many cannabis cultivators have experimented by building
their own growing contraptions. There are more than 100 different types
of systems that can be handmade at home. Out of these 100, about 15 are
ideal for cannabis. One of the most famous and simplest systems is DWC
(deep water culture), also known as the bubbler. This system is very cheap
to assemble and yet still provides excellent growth rates. There's nothing
like it for the price and it can be quite a rewarding way to grow.
The Bubbler
The bubbler is simply an all-in-one nutrient and plant holding container
with a lid and a pump, but it produces extraordinary results! Using the
bubbler method, you can produce optimal growing conditions for top yielding
strains, as long as it is maintained and managed well, by you, the grower.
The Bubble Bucket
1. Get a container that can hold roughly 3 gallons of nutrients per plant.
For a double bubbler use a container that can hold 6 gallons. For a single
plant you can use a 3 gallon bucket. Make sure that the container comes
with a lid.
2. Wrap the entire unit and lid with black gaffer tape. This will keep
light out of the unit and prevent alga from forming in the nutrient solution.
3. Get some 6-inch net pots.
4. Cut circular holes in the lid, enough to allow the entire net pot to
rest fully down into the lid. The rim of the net pot should be enough
to keep it from slipping into the container totally.
5. Cut a hole in the bottom of the container. Insert a small valve in
here and use some waterproof sealing around the sides. A good glue will
work too. Make sure that the valve can accommodate the pump's air tube
without leaking.
6. Insert the pump's air tube into the valve.
7. Attach an air stone to the air tube inside the container. Let it rest
on the bottom somewhere around the middle of the container.
8. Attach the air tube to your pump.
9. Fill the container with your nutrient solution just so that it covers
about an inch of the bottom of the net pot.
10. Get your growing medium together - rockwool, clay pebbles, and place
these into the net pots.
11. Transplant your rooted clone to the net pot.
12. Fill up the remaining area of the net pots with more clay pebbles
to support the clones.
13. Turn on your air pump 24-hours a day. That's all there is to it!
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