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Bud's Bio-Buckets Revisited

B

BudGood2006

Member
Hello to all. Some of you I know, some of you I am meeting for ...the very first time. :rasta:


I built a Bio-Bucket system many moons ago. I'm sure the build thread is around here somewhere. Anyhow, since my hiatus from IC, I've revised it a bit, with a bigger pump and intake manifold. Also, I now have 3-600w HPS lighting the area instead of 2. (Area is 4x8)

Here are some pics from the first few weeks (veg and flowering). The rate of growth is amazing, especially once the beneficials are fully established. I put the clones in after only 6 days of colonizing time. I'm still using the same lava rocks from the first time, they've made it through many grows (I soak them in peroxide solution for a day or so and rinse thoroughly with a powerfulwater sprayer).

Nutrients are Dutchmaster Gold series with some of their Max Flower additive. The rocks are releasing plenty of silica, so I don't use their Silica as they recommend. Also, I don't use Zone, which is a root zone "cleaner". The beneficial bacteria do that job just fine. Since I've tried Gold, I have no desire to use anything else, as the rate of growth is explosive (even more than standard Bio-Bucket growth levels), and the taste from the buds (and hash) is superb imho. I was using 50/50 ro/tap water, but have been using tap since my ro needs new filters.

I almost forgot to mention, I have a flipflop going. The other side is lighting a soil grow, trying to find some new moms. In the soil room I have Hashberry, GodbudxDreamweaver, Orange Diesel, AK and Bubbleberry. In the hydro is 9 Bubbleberry and 1 AK.


Anyway, on to the pictures! :jump:

































Any questions/comments welcome. :wave:
 
Belthane

Belthane

New member
Hi there :wave:

I like your set up bro. Bio buckets is how i found IC Mag 4 months ago, and have been researching, while gathering my materials. The current dirt grow will be finishing up couple weeks, can start to assemble.
One question for ya. How tall do you let em go before the flower switch?

Looks great man, ty for posting the growth show :rasta:
 
B

BudGood2006

Member
Rule, thanks dude. It's been awhile since I was last here. How goes it? :wave:


Belthane, thank you and you're welcome. I flip em when they start showing good growth, both vegetative and root. Bio-Buckets are so easy, it's almost TOO easy! Seriously, this is the best system for people who are (A) busy or (B) lazy. I work between 40-70 hours a week, so this system works well for me. Good luck on your setup! :joint:
 
W

Wonderkid420

Member
Do you ever have any rootzone problems primarily root rot? I was considering doing bio-buckets but I heard for a beginner ( which I know you're not) it can get difficult keeping away the evil root rot, is this true? and if so what countermeasures do you take?
 
B

BudGood2006

Member
Wonderkid420 Hello! :wave: No, I've never had any root rot problems. I've never done hydro any other way, although I've had much experience with soil before I started Bio-Buckets. So the way I see it, I was a beginner to hydro when I undertook this.

Keep in mind, my res sits on a concrete floor in a basement, my pump is external (submersibles heat the water) and my res is outside the grow area, all of which help keep my water temps optimal (around 67-70F is where my temp usually stays). I recommend using a pump bigger than you think you need, because many different things can affect how much water the pump is actually moving. For example, if you calculate you need a 1500 gph pump, you need to factor in head pressure , amount of bends in the intake plumbing, the pipe size, etc, in order to know what the pump is actually outputting pressure-wise. A 1500 gph pump could only be outputting 1000 or 900 depending on the above factors. I cant remember what size my pump is, but it is definitely more than big enough for my grow. You can adjust the flow down if it's too much, using the ball valves before each bucket.

I'm extremely high, so pardon me for rambling. :joint:
 
B

Blunted22

Nice thread bro im glad the bio buckets worked out for ya.... gonna look good when they get flipped....
 
N

nano

Member
I just have a question, I plan on bulding a system like yours, but usually in my ebb and flow I use peroxyde. I know I must not use peroxyde in bio-bucket, so If I only used hygrozyme (I use that too) in the buckets, would that be good enough to keep rot away? I know temps are supposed to be low, but my reservoir always stays between 70 and 75 so this concerns me a bit.
 
opt1c

opt1c

Active member
Veteran
nice setup man... i take it the buckets are sitting on a table?

Have you experimented with other brands of nutes before? Addatives? What ec are you running the Gold at?

I've just gotten my own buckets running thanks to ICmag, and BigToke especially. I'm using the standard GH 3part series but i'm always interested in experimenting. Nice to see someone else doing the same thing.

BTW... i went from soil to coco to bio-buckets myself.

-opt1c
 
B

BudGood2006

Member
Blunted22, they're in flowering already. I flipped em after the 3rd pic, the last one with the metal halide. They're at day 36 now. I took some pics last night. Finally got the date and time set correctly on that damn camera! :spank:


nano, I don't use anything to prevent rot. As I said in a previous post, I think its important to keep flow high and temp in an acceptable range. I've never used Hygrozyme, but I can tell you the beneficial bacteria (which are great because they are FREE) do some seriously amazing things for the plants. Can you get a chiller or perhaps make a "room within a room" to keep the majority of the heat away from the water? Try wrapping your piping and buckets with insulation too. I used silver reflective tape on the buckets (after a layer of black plastic and regular duct tape) to prevent light and heat getting in. Also, don't run your pump as a submersible, it creates a lot of heat. I use peroxide only to clean the system between grows. :wave:


opt1c, thanks! And, yes, I built a custom table (and room) for the system. I tried using GH 3 part before, keeping it as close as possible to BigTokes specs. I had good results with GH, but amazing results with Gold. I have been keeping it at around 1500 ppm. Nice to see others doing this system, it truely is a stoners DIY dream! :rasta:


Now, to the pictures:













The Bubbleberry is a leafy beast, but the buds are great (so are the trics, which are not in short supply on these babies). In the last picture you can see the AK47 right in the middle (I know, I know, I probably shouldn't be running multiple strains in the same system. Meh, it's working.) Sorry I didn't have time to color correct these, it's been a hectic day. :pimp3:
 
iLLperception

iLLperception

Member
Great looking grow! I am running a 6 bio bucket system and love the fast growth and healthy roots. I agree flow rate seems to be a big factor in preventing root rot, I have no signs of rot and my water temps stay around 74F, but I have 20+ times per hour turnover and they are thriving. I use no additives period, only AN 2 part nutes. My medium is higromite. Best of luck, I'll be checking back!
 
N

nano

Member
Thanks Budgood2006, good idea on the isolation of the reservoir and the pipes, I will definately do that.
 
B

BudGood2006

Member
iLLperception, thanks. Higromite? Is that another type of expanded clay pellet? I remember BigToke being very clear that the medium must be lava rock, for maximum beneficial bacteria colonization. Another bonus is the lava rocks release large amounts of silica into the nutrient solution, which really helps with fat stems and added protection against stress, bug resistance, etc. If Higromite works for you, right on. I am curious, however, how well it would work versus lava rock. Since you have such great flow, you might be alright. (How did you figure out what your flow rate is, if I may ask? Look at my previous posts above for the relevance of this question.) Do you have a link to your thread?


nano, you're welcome, and thank you as well. You got me thinking, I'll probably insulate my intake pipes and possibly my drain also in between this harvest and next grow. The pipe insulation and silver tape will pay off big-time in terms of keeping the nutrient solution cool. (I did run the system during last summer, had no problems, but cooler cant't hurt, ya know?) I don't have a chiller and don't want to buy one if I don't have to. :D


A side note, last night I grabbed trichome covered leaves from the AK and the Bubbleberry lightly, and was floored by the smells. Harvest time can't come soon enough! :jump:
 
3BM

3BM

Member
Whats your water source like? How stable is your pH and at what number? Great looking roots man, nicely done :D. Did the pH get lower over time for you? Thanks for any info!
 
R

rule35sub1

Thanks Bud.
I moved to AZ since last time. It's friggin hot here.
Nice pics, they look really good.
 
B

BudGood2006

Member
3BM, hello. :wave: I've been using tap water only, it's coming out around 200-300 ppm and at about a 7.5 ph-wise. My PH seems to stay around 6.0-6.5.

rule, yeah, AZ is hot, no doubt. I have a hard enough time keeping things cool here in CO, I can imagine what it's like there. :hotbounce These babies smell so good, it's hard to be patient until optimal harvest time! :canabis: Bad Bud, bad! :spank:
 
B

Blunted22

yea man i see thta they are looking good hope the harvest turns out good for ya...
 
Hu$tle Tree$

Hu$tle Tree$

Member
Looking Great BudGood!!! I'm in the process of revamping my Bio System as we speak.....I'll make sure to start a thread! It looks like the DM Gold is woking wonders for you, would you suggest it over GH?? How do the 2 compare?? Also are you using their Liquid Light and Penetrator combo?? I was thinking about switching nutes and the Gold was on my short list

H$T$
 
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Rainman

Rainman

The revolution will not be televised.....
Veteran
BG - Great system and pics!! i am a true convert to the bucket system after years of other hydro systems. It is truly the best system i have found for my needs.

The blue air stones stop any chance of root rot in your system and my pumps recycle the water enough times per hour that no water has time to become stagnant and produce root rot.



Some healthy purple girls loving the system before the big change over!!
Hope you don't mind the pics BG but just had to jump on the Bio-buckets bandwagon!! Major props to Blazeone and Bigtoke for showin me the light!!
 
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