I need some help with my hydroponic nutient solution. I am using general hydroponics flora series with diamond necter additive. What I really need is some one to break it down to me about ideal levels for optimum growth. I am also using rockwool as my growing medium.

since all solutions are different i would tell you to start with distilled water and to go by the amounts given on the packaging.

oh yeah, go organic!

First off I've found that General Hyro is shit. Do they still use a series of 3 different solutions? You can't always go with the the cheapest stuff.

You don't need to use distilled water. You need to regulate it's pH using either pH up (base) or pH down (acid) for the plants TO BE ABLE to take in nutrients. Optimal pH in the nutrient solution should be about 6.5.

Rockwool substrate will slowly turn acidic because of nutrient build-up, so I's advise you to tear off the paper around the Rockwool and then bury it in Geolite substrate. Those roots need to be set free to obtain more oxygen when the plant gets a little bigger. You will litterally drown your plant if the roots can't get enough oxygen.

So yes, answering your question.. proper pH of the nutrient solution is critical. Buy a pH test kit and either acid or base depending on the current pH of your local water supply.

i find most locally treated water to contain iron, chlorine, sodium, and sometimes even sulfates (ugh!). so i prefer and recommend using distilled water. these substances can build up and clog any small tubes used for feeding, and pumps as well. no one wants to dismantle their setup mid-cycle to clean it so that plants can get proper nutrition. it has nothing to do with pH for me.

Good enough Jungle... but doesn't that get prohibitively expensive? I change the nutrient solution every week so as not to build acidity and to keep the proper amount of nutrients in the H20. Plus I'm running a 30 gallon nutrient tank as this can absorb excess salts more easily. Can you imagine buying 30 gallons of distilled H20 every week? Plus I add 2 more gallons a week to compenstate for evaporation. That would bring me at $130/month just for H20. Add to that a $100 electric bill, $30 for CO2, $40 for nutrients and then new bulbs every 6 months....and you see the shit starts to add up. (Well I know it makes up for itself when you harvest 2 pounds of ultra-compact light green stinky krypto bud >;~)

with a garden like that it could get expensive. SWIJ is looking at setting up a new indoor setup, might like to include your opinion. SWIJ just finished the outdoor season, which doesnt really need distilled water. this summers results were less than desirable for the grower, who had to move mid-flowering and leave the ladies in the care of someone with less than needed knowledge. K deficiencies, and some seeding even occurred when one stressed to the point of herm pollenated the others. buds are less than tight, although still potent. SWIJ is considering turning the whole harvest to oil. when he decides on the 3 possibilites for the indoor setup he will post here, since your site seems to have enough information, and maybe kids here could use some banter between people who know what theyre talking about. this is assuming youre Nietzsche from that site as well... i always figured you were, the latest post leads me to believe im correct in assuming this. nice to have an 'authority' around.