Still cannot decide - hydro system for trees

[Albireo]

My grow will have two 1000 watt hps lamps each over a 4x4 table. Each table will grow two large plants. I will have 2 plants vegging at all times under a 400 watter. That will put me at my six plant limit.

I will be using Dutch Master Gold, pbp, and some other additives.

I want large root balls to support large plants.

I have been planning on going large tub dwc. One 30-50 gallon tub for each light. This is basically how I used to grow and I know it well. Temps as always are a concern, but I should not have to think about that until next July. I will put drains on the tubs which will make draining easy. I guess I just get concerned about losing crops. I cannot see any advantage to going to rdwc, but i do not know that system well.

E&F with large buckets has caught my attention. My buddy runs a e&f setup with 5 gallon buckets and a controller. Seems to work ok, i would want larger buckets than 5 gallons though. Besides water temp issues of dwc, is this style e&f gain me anything?

Any other sytles or systems worth looking at?

One of my friends gave me a crap load of hash and it has really been affecting my decesion making skills on this issue.

Advice?? Tips??

 

[Lazyman]

Jesus, too much light. Over about 75wpsf and most guys get some burn or bleaching. one 1000w over a 4X4 is 62.5wpsf, more than enough.

The bottom branches will still be useless so some pruning will be in order, but I think buckets are probably what you're after if you want trees. 5 gallon buckets can grow enormous plants, bigger than you could imagine.

Lots of threads here on each system, but I usually base my decisions on plant size/count, simplicity and reliability.

For you, my gut instinct says you want ten gallon Smartpots filled with coco and fed with Tropf blumat auto-waterers, no pumps or timers needed and the posts will always have the perfect amount of moisture. Non recirculating, pretty much a no-runoff coco grow, all the benefits of handwatering without the labor.

 

[Haps]

DIY ebb n flo buckets kick dwc's butt.

 

[Albireo]

its is 1000 watts over 4x4. 2 4x4 tables.

 

[Raphael]

I would recommend you look at BigToke's Bio Bucket tutorial. It is what I am running and is a very very effective way of maximizing growth and BigToke explains how to use 5 gallon buckets; perfect for huge trees.

 

[PuReKnOwLeDgE]

RDWC

these are 49 days old, day 24 12/12, and honestly they got a very slow start.

 

[Eminem]

I can vouch for E&F buckets as well. I keep moms in 5 gallon buckets, and they are pretty big. Most are taller than me. Not ideal for moms, but it shows the 5 gallons can handle a very large plant.

 

[PuReKnOwLeDgE]

Eminem I am glad you are still kickin man!

 

[Anima]

Ebb and flow buckets!!

I have a tutorial linked in my sig that doesn't use a controller bucket.. but takes up about 16 inches of vertical space. You won't have to worry about leaking either as it sit above the res.

Good luck on whatever method you decide!
Peace and kindness
-Anima

 

[Moldy Dreads]

Yes in hydro the biggest trees I've grown were in buckets with a brain..and the most anxiety due to leaks lol

edit -

That will put me at my six plant limit.

Isn't is six flowering and six vegging?

 

[Sportster]

Krusty Buckets....or better known as Freedom Buckets, I just saw a thread around here somewhere talking about them!! Bar none, in all the years I've been at this, those were by far the only way to grow TREES!!!.....I haven't seen anything compare yet!!

BINGO... Link---> http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=70780

 

[superultramega]

I'll vote for e&f buckets and even krusty buckets but they're a little more work to set up.

I would suggest hanging your lights vertical rather than keeping them all overhead. This makes a huge yield advantage in trees.

 

[captain.koons]

EBB & FLow buckets are nice.

Bio-buckets/dutch buckets are nice also. Look at big toke's thread.

 

[Albireo]

Isn't is six flowering and six vegging?

It is 6 mature or 12 immature. From talking to people here, at one of the clubs, and a few friends, I have come to the conclusion that to be absolutely legal, once you have a plant in flowering, count all plants as if in flowering. So that leaves me 6. Many people I know break this and have not had issues with LEO around here, but in my situation I will stick to 6.

I plan on harvesting one 4x4 table (with 2 plants) every 4-5 weeks and then the other 4-5 weeks later. Plants vegged 4-5 weeks will replace those just harvested. I have a friend who keeps moms and will let me (for free) get 2 rooted clones every 4-5 weeks. When he is not reliable, I have access to clones at the clubs or I will clone from my vegging plants.

Hopefully it works out. I have concerns about veg time but will figure that out as I go.

 

[squirrelfooker]

.lector.

 

[Albireo]

While working on wiring my room, my buddy and I were discussing hydro methods. I am still leaning towards large tub (20-50 gallons) dwc, though I am highly interested in e&f buckets. Anima's setup looks good. I have all the height I need as my ceiling is 10'6".

My DWC idea is to build a 20-50 gallon res out of 2x matieral, plywood, insulation, and pondliner (I have built turtle ponds this way). I would plumb a drain with a hose sipgot into the res to make water changes easy. I would use 1.5" solid foam insualtion for the lid, with the netpot in that. I live at altitude in a cool climate, so cooling, when needing, will be done with axial fans creating evaporative cooling. I will use airstones, heater, and a small water pump in res.

I could easily make my DWC system like Anima's setup, using 5 gallon buckets over my home made res. I like it and it seems simple and effective.

I assume the difference between the two in yield and speed are minimal. What are the differences in the systems?

 

[Albireo]

So you are interpreting it as 6 total, so 4 flower 2 veg = 6 total.
This seems like the safest way.

This is correct.

 

[Bermyboy]

Is it too much light? I thought bleacing came form heat not light

 

[relief]

I've used a 1000 watt hps light over a 2x4 space, key is to keep the light further away from the tops of the plants (thats why I recommend scrogging for your setup). I've done both DWC and E&F, the only difference I've ever seen in my grows was the E&F was a lot less work.

From what you're describing, I would go with large ebb and flo buckets (home made 15 to 30 gallon buckets). The key is for trees is a lot of root space. E&F will require larger buckets due to the medium that will take up root space.

I've vegged some monsters that would easily be 8 foot tall if I hadn't of scrogged them. Either way, with trees you have to trim up the bottoms anyways. I've always had trim the bottoms indoors where the light is static (hanging directly above them). In the greenhouse I can let the bottom nugs stay and they get potent and plump due to the suns movement and light distribution.

 

[SpasticGramps]

I say buckets. E&F is the easiest I imagine. I like using these. They are from GH and they are expensive compared to DIY. They grow some awesome plants. I haven't thrown these to flower yet.



After two weeks. I'm trying to grow them slow too. Colder temps and less nutes because I'm waiting on my house construction around the corner to finish so I can move all this to a much securer location for flower.