Soaked her for about 48 hours until she cracked then she was placed in a rockwool cube that was prepared by soaking overnight in pH 6 RO water. I put them on a bed of moist perlite to help balance the moisture in the rockwool. She will be transferred to a dutch bucket when she is ready. Will update photos when she breaks the surface which will mark day 1. Very excited that fastbuds is working on bringing us some old school strains!
UPDATE: 5 days from the initial soak this girl is up and ready to grow. I built a compact 2 plant dutch bucket system. I needed something that didn't take up a lot of space and that can be easily moved so the (2) 2.5 gallon buckets sit on top of their 17 gallon reservoir. Using an aquarium powerhead to pump nutrients 24 hours a day. A small air pump keeps the reservoir oxygenated. Buckets are lined with 120 micron paint strainers and filled with 100% perlite like always. Drain is set a little above the bottom of the buckets so they always have a little reserve water in case of pump or power issues. I will run the system for 24 hours to make sure ph is stable then this little beauty will be planted. The FBTO1 will run next to a FBTO13.
Day 4 her color is darker than usual. Dark green leaves with a deep purple stem. One of the leaves is curling down a little but she is looking ok.
Day 7 she is growing. Looking happy.
@Njaak, I run (2) 6 inch airstones in my big system. I thought a small air stone would be good for this little one but guess wasn't quite enough. You definitely want a lot of air for your dwc.
@Wicked_Stix, I've wondered about air. My big bin I was thinking of using 2 but the local hydro store dude said no need. I may go with your experience ;)
Hey man, thanks very much for the inspiration. Your system is truly elite. I have been interested in trying manual hempy style somewhere in 2020, I have to say that this looks superior with recirculation and automation.
Is this the small kind of perlite you are using? (Instead the 'chunky' stuff)
I heard it breaks down into pieces which are too fine over time.
BTW, how do you deal with the ( I assume) rising PH that results from aeration? adding more phosphoric acid?
@BillMonroe, I wash and reuse what I can but I lose quite a bit from washing it. Mine stays moist but it does get crumbly when it is dry.
And yes I have tried fox farms and a couple other brands. Even boosters like beastie blooms will make the ph fluctuate. General hydroponics maxi and the flora are the only ones I have found that run steady consistently. I like the maxi because it is much cheaper and you can actually run the grow or bloom alone without any boosters
@Wicked_Stix, Sweet. I assume you reuse the perlite. And did you have PH fluctuations with different nutrient lines? :O
i mentioned that about the perlite 'breaking down', i have to wonder if that happens from it 'drying out' and remoistened all the time. Yours must be continuously be as moist as it can be.
Super interesting, thanks again
@BillMonroe, I just use regular perlite from my local garden center. I use 5 gallon paint strainer bags to line my buckets. It keeps the perlite from running into my reservoir. I have done a lot of testing on different nutrients. The maxi nutrients and boosters I use run stable. It runs stable with no fluctuation. I have ran the same solution for up to 2 weeks with zero change in pH.
@mr_h_kovert, Thanks. I think this strain has even more potential than I got out of her if grown on a better feed schedule. These buds flame up like fresh hash though.
@Mr_Weeds_Autos, Yeah all of the autos I have ran in dutch buckets get pretty big. Excited to see how they finish up. Going to be running several more of the fastbuds original strains after I finish this grow. Good luck with your grows!