~~Am I Crazy??? Is This A NEW HYDRO METHOD..SIMPLER THAN EBB N FLOW??!PLEASE READ!!!

[MobbDeep]

All right guys..so right now Im in my first real grow..using coco coir/perlite handwatered in 1 gallon grow bags...things are looking real nice..plants are 2.5 feet tall..very bushy..etc...Iv been looking into a simple hydro system..after careful reading..Iv layed out a plan,for a seed run.vegged for about 15 days...then flowered under a 400 hps..or maybe even 12/12 from seed grow..if it works Ill do my future clone sog runs using this same system..I just need some feedback,or comments..and if this system will work...



MATERIALS

hydroton 50 l bag http://www.htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=46551


5.5* 5.5 in sqaure pots http://www.wormsway.com/detail.asp?sku=KSP310

rapid rooters http://www.kalyx.com/store/proddetail.cfm/ItemID/767502/CategoryID/12000/SubCatID/2470/file.htm

seeds : I Will get a pack or 2 of nirvana off seed boutique


tub or bucket to submerge pots in http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3224330&CAWELAID=218868677


1. Germ seeds..and place into rapid rooters..wait for roots to pop out..

3.rinse and pre soak hydroton...fill square pots with hydroton..place rapid rooters into hydroton..

4.put pots udner the 400 hps..for strong veg..or maybe even the t5 first..

5.fill tub with tap water..add nutes and additives..and keep a air stone running in there to oxygenate the water.,this will be my reservoir..every time I "water"...Ill ofcourse check and adjust ph..

6. Grab pots with plants...then slowly dip the pots into the reservoir...leave for a few seconds..till the entire pot floods..the remove pot and let it drain..and place back into your grow room...repeat this process as many time as needed,around 5+ times a day..to keep hydroton wet all the time..I dont mind this task..as Iv got plenty time and love being with the girls..



Now to the questions..Iv come to the conclusion that this is very much a more simple version of an ebb and flow..where you MANUALLY "flow" the pots..instead of a dripper or pump..while this may be more time consuming..it much more simple and budget freindly than setting up a complex ebb and flow,or dwc...as a dwc is not too noob friendly..

1.Should I use the 5 in square pots,or a 1 gallon grow bag..will the sqaure pots allow good enough root growth..for a sog grow..either usaing seeds or clones??Obvoisly they wont be big plants..just around 1-2 ft tall..with one main cola..so which should I go with,square pots..or 1 gallon grow bags..Ima have around 10-20 per 400 hps..


2.Should I palce alumnum foil..or tape of something opaque..so the roots and the hydroton dont get hit with light..and maybe cause root rot or algae???

3.Will this sytem work as good a regular ebb and flow...as long as the hydroton doesnt dry out..I will try to water them around 10+ times a day.,.,is this enough?

 

[Twisted Metal]

MANUALLY flood a plant 10 times a day ROFL.

 

[GrowingHigher]

I guess if you did it right that would work. But really. I hope you have someone who can go buy your groceries because that set up would consume your existence.

By the way... hand watering a coco-perlite mix is already technically growing hydro, as your medium is essentially devoid of nutrients.

 

[MobbDeep]

MANUALLY flood a plant 10 times a day ROFL.

Not to be a dikk..but whats so funny about that..like I said..some people simply dont have the time,patiente for that..I on the other hand wouldnt care.. can it be done..any REAL comments..besides the obvios " it will be a time consuming" task comment???

 

[LlamaSchool]

MobbDeep - The issue is not just that it's time consuming. The problem is that you probably, one day, will have somewhere else you have to be and will not be around once every few hours every day, every week to flood your pots.

 

[Ms Carter]

I suppose if you have absolutely nothing else going on in your life, this would work. Personally, I think you are out of your mind to even consider this. Get a credit card, and buy an ebb and grow system. It will pay for itself 20x in 3 months!

 

[MobbDeep]

I see..while that may be an issue..lets say for example..that I CAN be here all day to take care of them..or have a family meber take care for them if Im gone..how many times roughly will this need to be done in a day..every hour..every few hours?....Im really just trying a simple method..as soil is simply not an option for me..Im growing in coco coir right now..which is in itself a hydro grow..the thing is th cost for a bag of canna coco shipped is alot..also what whould perform better..if I can manage to be here to flood the hydroton every few hours?

1. 6 * 6 sqaure pots with hydroton manually flooded in a sog

2. 6* 6 sqaure pots with coco coir,handwatered in a sog

3. 1 gallon grow bags hydroton manually flooded

4. 1 gallon cooc coir han watered


i need a good website to order canna coco 50 liter bags..

 

[GrowingHigher]

why cant you buy a pump and set up a real ebb and flow, they are fairly simple. Or do it deep water culture. All you need are some rubber maids or some 5 gallon buckets and a few aquarium air pumps.

 

[MobbDeep]

why cant you buy a pump and set up a real ebb and flow, they are fairly simple. Or do it deep water culture. All you need are some rubber maids or some 5 gallon buckets and a few aquarium air pumps.

my main reason is i can only use tap water...can i still run a dwc tubbler with tap water..i guess im aiming for the simplest method..

 

[GrowingHigher]

sure... unless your tap water has aids

 

[messn'n'gommin']

I don't see why it wouldn't work. It would largely depend on the general hardness of your water. Even then there is a great tute on Pontiac's ICMag DIY page for a small R/O setup.

But, I have been looking at Hempy Buckets (a passive hydro system) for a while now and will probably be doing them after I'm done with my current closet grow. You can use a variety of mediums (although it is my understanding that a 3 or 4 to 1 ratio of perlite to vermiculite is about optimal) and full strength nutes once a day until the tap root gets to the internal res, then it's every other day or so. Sounds about as simple as it gets, to me!

Namaste, mess

 

[CaptainTrips]

Yeah, just do "hempy" buckets... easy as pie, and they won't consume your life, lol.

 

[FRIENDinDEED]

ok , i had to sign in to respond to this one,

so if im getting this right, you wanna do a hand watered hydro grow? the main principle of hydro is to try to keep the plants in a constant supply of water or to keep the moisture of the roots constantly wet with nutes.

now, most DWC sys. have to have the water constantly being bubbled, most if not all EBB and FLOW/GROW sys. have to flood the buckets or tables around about every half hour give or take 15min. and these are facts

now lets be real, every and anything you find on this site is gonna lead you to the path of least resistance, although it may be what you wanna do (and no ones trying to knock you for it, its your choice) that style of growing that your talking about is ridiculous, time consuming, foolish and literally goes against all the principles of "ease" that can be named.

most times ive read about coir being used in a hydro system its synonymous with a dripper sys as well. now if you wanna do it by hand then, in all honesty you'd be pioneering that project and would have to report back to the community with what your findings are, IMO i think you'd be looking at every half hour to 45 minutes you'd have to water how ever many buckets you have every half to 45 minutes while using such a pourous grow medium.

so to answer your thread title:
~~Am I Crazy??? YES YOU ARE, Is This A NEW HYDRO METHOD..SIMPLER THAN EBB N FLOW??!NO, NOT REALLY SIMPLE AT ALL, PLEASE READ!!!


*** " 6. Grab pots with plants...then slowly dip the pots into the reservoir...leave for a few seconds..till the entire pot floods..the remove pot and let it drain..and place back into your grow room...repeat this process as many time as needed,around 5+ times a day..to keep hydroton wet all the time..I dont mind this task..as Iv got plenty time and love being with the girls.. " *** dude did you seriously type this and not read it? try reading this to yourself around ten times, out loud and then think about it.

i mean if its that bad for you (and it has to be, cause i cant see anyone literaly "wanting" to do this) then why not atleast get the dripper line, connect it to a res that a good 5' higher than the plant pots, run the line along teh tops of the plants, polk holes where the water needs to drip out of to water the plant, use gravity and just keep it going like that?

you wanna take EACH individual plant, and DIP IT in a nute solution? your only gonna have liek 2-5 plants right? thsi isnt some hellacious grow is it?

 

[MobbDeep]

I guess it wasnt too though out..Im jusat thinkin about ym options..as for all the disbelief and negativty..dude read the ENTIRE THREAD..obviosly itll be time consum,ing...but I have time to spare..and if that means watering every hour..then Ill water ever hour..Ima use small suare pots..and yes manually dip them into the bucket solution..so here are my options..comments are welcome...

1.dwc tubbler system with TAP WATER

2.handwatered coco coir

3. hempy bucket passive hydro..

4.the method i just posted..

 

[Ms Carter]

A regular hydro grow will occupy plenty of your time. You will be kicking yourself in the ass after day 2 if you decide to hand remove every single bucket from your grow room, dunk them, and then place them back ten times a day. Dude, you must have been smoking some good shit and listening to Shook Ones when you thought of this masterful plan. buy or make a system.

 

[SuperConductor]

You would do it for 2-3 weeks max before you bought a pump. Even hand watering twice daily becomes a real pain in the arse but what you want to do is, like you asked in the title of the thread, crazy. By the time you finish dunking you'll have 15-25 minutes to live the rest of your life (including bathing, eating and shitting) before it's time to start again.

Go for handwatering coco or the hempy buckets, coco can be watered 2-3 times a day so it may suit you if you have a lot of time to spare

 

[MobbDeep]

Ok guys thanks..obviosly it wasnt too thought out..just exploring my options..I wasnt really serius..just worth mentioning..to see if its a valid option for my future grows..the general opinion is NO..so Ill have to agree...

can i use tap water..even if its hard tap water..with dwc??

 

[MarquisBlack]

Here's a simpler way to do this-

Whatever size container you end up using, use Coco coir. Whether or not you cut it with hydroton or perlite is up to you, but I would recommend against it. Pure coco is the way to go.

Get yourself a cheap underbed container for under $10 and place it under your light, then place your plants inside the under-bed tray. Once, maybe twice a day, add enough solution to the tray to cover the drain holes of your pots (you'll figure out the right amount as time progresses). Now just let your plants sit in the solution for < 1 hour, if there is any solution left, remove it. Eventually you'll get to the point that you can predict how much the ladies will drink to prevent them standing in water.

It seems you're rather hung up on being "hydroponic", but this is technically hydroponic, and it's a much easier way to do things. If I could go back and do this for my first grow, I would.

 

[Hydro-Soil]

can i use tap water..even if its hard tap water..with dwc??

If you really want to go hydro, please don't use tap water unless you've had it tested and it's really clean. There are a huge number of issues you'll avoid if you stick to RO water.

If you really want to go hydro, go all the way and set up a simple ebb&flow tray to start. Keep your plants in containers of hydroton on your tray and you'll end up using minimal water.

If you don't get your water tested, I'd suggest going with a dirt grow.

 

[3dDream]

Search for autopots or smartvalves. They will do the flooding for you.