Simply's Most Commonly Asked Questions & Answers

Also, see our section on Destroying the Myths.

Click on any link below to view Answer's & pictures

pH Related - Common Q & A

Question: When should I adjust My pH?

Question: I am waiting on my ph up & down or I cannot get to the store for a couple of days to buy my ph up & down what can I use as a quick fix?

Question: I make a fresh batch of nutrients & adjust my ph to the level I need. A day or 2 later I check my ph and it is way out of acceptable range. What causes this & how do I fix it?

pH & TDS Meter Related - Common Q & A

Question: How often should I clean my pH/TDS meter?

Question: What type of pH meter is better?

Nutrient, Reservoir, & Water Filtration/Purification Related - Common Q & A

Question: Should I use a time release nutrient or a liquid nutrient?

Question: What causes tip burn & is tip burn harmful to my plants?

Question: My plants have tip burn how do I fix it?

Question: How do I know when to water?

Question: How much should I water when I water?

Question: Is there such a thing as too much oxygen in the reservoir?

Question: Why does my air pump get water in it when the power goes out?

Question: When I mix my nutrients, the next day I notice the nutrients have settled to the bottom of the reservoir. How do I stop this from happening?

Question: Should I use hydroponic nutrients or organic?

Question: How do I measure small amounts of nutrients, like 3 ml?

Question: How do I stop my water pump from becoming clogged?

Question: Why do people use water purification/filtration systems to water their plants?

Different Systems Pro's & Con's, Common Problems - Common Q & A

Question: Which is better Ebb & Flo (Flood & Drain), Drip, Aeroponic, or Run To Waist/Non-Recovery Systems?

Question: What size Ebb & Flo fitting should I use on my tray?

Question: Why does my air pump get water in it when the power goes out?

Question: When I mix my nutrients, the next day I notice the nutrients have settled to the bottom of the reservoir. How do I stop this from happening?

Question: How do I stop my water pump from becoming clogged?

Question: What is the best way to get my trays &/or containers clean?

Foliar Feeding Related Common - Q & A

Question: Why shouldn't I Foliar Feed with the lights on?

Question: How do I get the most benefit using foliar sprays?

Question: Would my plants get the most benefit out of foliar feeding in the grow/vegetive stage or the bloom/fruit & flowering stage?

Question: When is the best time to foliar feed, before the lights come on/the sun comes up or after they go off/the sun goes down?

Question: How can I go in my grow room when the lights are off to foliar feed if you cannot turn on the light?

Question: What is the fastest way to provide a plant with a beneficial nutrient and/or additive?

Question: I cannot get to the gardening store in time to buy a wetting agent, what could I use as a substitute?

Transplanting Related - Common Q & A

Question: Why do some of or all of my plants die when I first transplant them?

Question: What is an easy way to help stop my plants from drying out when I first transplant them?

Question: What size container should I have my plants in?

Question: What size net cup should I use?

Lighting Related - Common Q & A

Question: How often should I replace my bulbs?

Question: Sometimes when I buy a new Metal Halide (MH) bulb, you can see little balls rolling around or the inner arc tube is hazy white. Is that normal or is that new bulb no good?

Question: When should I use a light meter?

Question: Why do I need to put my lights on a timer?

Question: How bad will a power outage hurt my plants?

Question: How often should I clean the glass in my air-cooled reflector?

Question: The plants on the outer edge of my tray are not doing as well as the plants directly under the light. How do I fix this problem?

Question: Is there such a thing as too much light?

Question: How do I eliminate the hot spots under my lights?

Question: When should I give my seedlings light?

Question: How many hours of light do seedlings need?

Question: How many hours of light do my clones need?

Question: How many hours of light do my mom's need?

Question: How can I go in my grow room when the lights are off if you cannot turn on the light?

Question: How do I attach duct work to my air cooled reflector & fans?

Question: Do my fans that cool my lights need to be on when my light is off?

Question: What temperature should my ballast run at?

Question: I notice that my ballast makes more noise than it used to or that I have one ballast that makes more noise than the other. How do I fix these problems?

Question: How do I know if I need CO2?

Question: How much would I benefit from adding a light mover?

Reflective Material Related - Common Q & A

Question: What reflective material is the best?

Question: Why shouldn't I have reflective material on the bottom of the plants bouncing light to the bottom side of the plant canopy?

Question: What is the best way to hang and/or attach Mylar?

Question: I need to have reflective material to bounce the light back to the plants but I do not have a wall to hang the reflective material on. What can I do?

Plant/Fruit/Vegetable/Flowers Related - Common Q & A

Question: I am growing Watermelon and Squash. I have noticed that the plants have less bugs and disease when I grow them up the trellis netting than if I let them grow on the ground. The problem is how do I support the fruit?

Question: Why do my outside plants like squash or cucumbers get white spotty mold on the leaves & how do I fix it?

Question: How do I get better flavor & aroma?

Question: Why do plants do better when the water drains after watering than if the water is not allowed to drain?

Question: How many plants should I have in my size area?

Question: When I look at my roots they are not completely white, does that mean I have root rot? If so, how do I fix it?

Question: What causes yellow spots on plants?

Question: My plants are wilting but my medium is wet, what is wrong?

Question: How do I help stop my plants from getting moldy in my indoor garden and/or greenhouse?

Question: What is the fastest way to provide a plant a beneficial nutrient/additive?

Question: What causes my tomatoes to split/crack?

Question: What are some things that I can add to make the root system healthier?

Question: What can I do to make my plant more able to withstand heat?

Container Gardening or Net Cup Related - Common Q & A

Question: What size container should I have my plants in?

Question: What size net cup should I use?

Question: How do I stop Algae from growing on the top of my containers &/or tray?

Question: What is the best way to get my trays &/or containers clean?

Question: I hand water my plants and I have to water too often. What can I do so I do not have to water as often?

Question: Is algae harmful to my plants, if so what can I do to get rid of it?

Soil/Hydroponics Growing Medium - Common Q & A

Question: How do I test the pH & PPM/TDS in my soil/hydroponic growing medium?

Question: Should I presoak my starter cubes/soil/hydroponic growing medium (anything other then soil...ex: sand, gravel, sphagnum moss, coco, perlite, ect.)?

Question: What hydroponic growing medium should I use or should I use soil?

Question: I reuse my soil/hydroponic medium & I have noticed that each crop my yields go down and my plants look less healthy. What is causing this and how do I fix it?

Question: I water my plants from the top of the container & I noticed that after a couple weeks the soil/hydroponic growing medium starts compressing. Is that bad & if so how do I fix it?

Question: I hand water my plants and I have to water too often. What can I do so I do not have to water as often?

Question: Is algae harmful to my plants, if so what can I do to get rid of it?

Propagation/Cloning & Seedling Related - Common Q & A

Question: What is the best way to start my seedlings?

Question: How can I get my seeds to sprout faster?

Question: When should I give my seedlings light?

Question: How many hours of light do seedling need?

Question: When should I use a humidity dome?

Question: How many hours of light do my clones need?

Question: What level of humidity should I keep my clone/propagation room at?

Question: What temperature should I have my cloning/propagation room at?

Question: How many hours of light do my mom's need?

Question: What size humidity dome should I use?

Question: Why do my clones get moldy &/or rot under my humidity dome?

Question: Are clones adults or are they babies?

Question: Why doesn't my clone machine work as good the second time I use it as it did the first time I used it?

Question: What CO2 level do clones need?

Question: What CO2 level do Mom's (a mom is the mother plant the clones a cut from) need?

Disease & Pest/Bug/Animal Related - Common Q & A

Question: Why do I keep getting bugs &/or diseases?

Question: When I look at my roots they are not completely white, does that mean I have root rot? If so how do I fix it?

Question: What causes yellow spots on plants?

Question: Why do plants do better when the water drains after watering then if the water is not allowed to drain?

Question: My plants are wilting but my medium is wet, what is wrong?

Question: How do I help stop my plants from getting moldy in my indoor garden/greenhouse?

Question: What are some things I can add to make my root system healthier without raising NPK?

Question: Why do people use water purification/filtration systems to water there plants?

Question: I have a lot of mosquitoes how would I get rid of them WITHOUT using pesticides?

Question: I have a Bat House but the bats are not using it, what should I do to get the bats to use the bat house?

Question: There are deer/squirrels/birds/raccoons/ect. eating my garden how do I stop them from eating my crops?

Question: Is algae harmful to my plants, if so what can I do to get rid of it?

Question: I had a disease problem & lost all my plants/or I am starting over from scratch. How do I eliminate the risk of the bugs/disease still being in the area waiting to re-contaminate my new garden?

Question: How do I kill pathogens in the reservoir, BEFORE they hurt my plants?

Fan or Blower Related - Commons Q & A

Question: Should I use a fan or a blower?

Question: How do I attach duct work to my air cooled reflector & fans?

Question: Do my fans that cool my lights need to be on when my light is off?

Question: Do my oscillating fans need to be on all the time?

Question: I put an oscillating fan blowing on my plants & the plants dried up. They look almost like a nutrient problem, what did I do wrong?

Temperature & Humidity Related - Common Q & A

Question: What temperature should I keep my grow room at?

Question: What temperature should the water in my reservoir be?

Question: What temperature shouldmy ballast run at?

Question: What temperature should I have my cloning/propagation room at?

Question: What level of humidity should I keep my bloom/flowering room at?

Question: What level of humidity should I keep my vegetive/grow room at?

Question: What level of humidity should I keep my clone/propagation room at?

CO₂ Related - Common Q & A

Question: I have a CO2 regulator that freezes up on me. What is wrong with it & how do I fix it?

Question: Do I need to run my CO2 equipment when my lights are off?

Question: I use a CO2 generator & I have the equipment off at night. But the CO2 level keeps building up at night, why?

Question: What level of CO2 is best for my garden?

Question: What is the normal CO2 outside?

Question: What CO2 level do Clones need?

Question: What CO2 level do mom's (a mom is the mother plant the clones a cut from) need?

Question: What is the best way to provide the plants with CO2 using a tank & regulator?

Question: What is the best way to control the CO2 level in my grow room?