4,000w Perpeptual Ebb&Grow room, need help/advice!

[EvilTwin]

Merfolk and friends,
I'm a little visually handicapped and missed a few things in the diagram...but I don't think anything was harmed by my questions and queries to Merfolk.

Hey Blinddate...how are you? I don't know if you recall our conversation about this system awhile back. I must seem awfully slow but finally it all clicked into place about this system.

Hey Merfolk...on the lighting, have you ever thought about a light mover? It's a wonderful way to maximize your light efficiency. You can put the lights lower and because the light source is moving, it reaches places that would be shaded with stationary lighting. Hence better penetration.

You may not need it now, but if you add more pots and have longer rows...it could work. I've used them for over 20 years. The down side is cost and added complication if using cooling. Just a thought.
Cheers,
ET

 

[Merfolk]

Merfolk and friends,
I'm a little visually handicapped and missed a few things in the diagram...but I don't think anything was harmed by my questions and queries to Merfolk.

Hey Blinddate...how are you? I don't know if you recall our conversation about this system awhile back. I must seem awfully slow but finally it all clicked into place about this system.

When I was putting my Krypto controller together I had to wire up a Diehl 5 pole timer and there's no question that it would work. But it probably isn't necessary. The only thing it would save is the coordination of the time setting with the two timers which is a simple one-time event.

Hey Merfolk...on the lighting, have you ever thought about a light mover? It's a wonderful way to maximize your light efficiency. You can put the lights lower and because the light source is moving, it reaches places that would be shaded with stationary lighting. Hence better penetration.

You may not need it now, but if you add more pots and have longer rows...it could work. I've used them for over 20 years. The down side is cost and added complication if using cooling. Just a thought.
Cheers,
ET

haha! I had no problem explaining it, infact i had to read the thread a few times for it to click for me, I think id pass on the wiring part you suggested, im not savvy in that kind of area!

I did think of a light mover, i did not mention this in my first post, but i ceiling is about 6' High, so im hurting for height already, hense getting the cool tubes i imagine - As far as the light mover, perhaps in the future to save on light, but im OK with running 4k lights and blasting each system with 2k watts -

Question

Should i just be growing the top cola's? because as you stated, the sides of the plant WILL be shaded, and im not sure if i want to go through the trouble of providing, lets say t-5s on the side of the plants to make sure one side gets light -

Not sure on this part yet.

 

[EvilTwin]

Merfolk,
Indeed teaching is a good way to learn. You did good.

With your height limitations, a mover might be a problem since they'll take up, at the minimum, an additional 6" of height.

Since your grow will be pretty big, extensive training like scrog or lst may be too much work. With my last big plant grow I used a double topping technique. Topped once to get two main shoots and then topped each of them which then produce two shoots each. So you end up with a reasonably low plant with 4 colas. The topping, of course, all occurs in veg. Each topping takes a certain time to recover from.

Of course, your perpetual grow schedule will dictate whether you'll have enough time for much training. With 1000W lights you'll get good penetration and should be able to grow a nice batch of 4 footers. Strain choice will have lots to do with growing and training style. I just bought some Pakistani indica seeds that are naturally low and bushy. Something like that wouldn't need any training. So those are my thoughts for the day...
Peace,
ET

 

[EvilTwin]

I don't think you can wire a 5 pole timer to perform what is needed. Any 2 cheap timers will work fine. They do not need to be digital either.

Blinddate is right here. My thinking was wrong. You need two timers. Posted just in case anyone read my erroneous comment (now edited out).
ET

 

[stillsmokin843]

i was basing my opiion off the ebb and grow system when it floods the buckets the controller bucket overflows adn the pump has to turn on in the controller bucket plenty of times and pump water back into the rez. and the float switch would be at the top of the bucket so that if the bucket ever cam close to over flowing it would automaticaly turn on the controller pump to stop a over flow so un less your contriller bucket is big enough to hold the amount of water that it takes to flood all your buckets. because if your sump timmer is off durring flooding and the contriller bucket doesnt have the capaticy to hold the total flood then i think it will flood the controller

 

[Merfolk]

Hell, that paragragh is confusing!

i dont think there is much room for error as far as flooding..

i was basing my opiion off the ebb and grow system when it floods the buckets the controller bucket overflows adn the pump has to turn on in the controller bucket plenty of times and pump water back into the rez. and the float switch would be at the top of the bucket so that if the bucket ever cam close to over flowing it would automaticaly turn on the controller pump to stop a over flow so un less your contriller bucket is big enough to hold the amount of water that it takes to flood all your buckets. because if your sump timmer is off durring flooding and the contriller bucket doesnt have the capaticy to hold the total flood then i think it will flood the controller

 

[EvilTwin]

i was basing my opiion off the ebb and grow system when it floods the buckets the controller bucket overflows adn the pump has to turn on in the controller bucket plenty of times and pump water back into the rez. and the float switch would be at the top of the bucket so that if the bucket ever cam close to over flowing it would automaticaly turn on the controller pump to stop a over flow so un less your contriller bucket is big enough to hold the amount of water that it takes to flood all your buckets. because if your sump timmer is off durring flooding and the contriller bucket doesnt have the capaticy to hold the total flood then i think it will flood the controller

SS...
You're not understanding the system. I had some difficulty myself. Try and look at it as two completely different systems. The fill part and the drain part. You're getting the two parts confused. And this system is completely different then an Ebb and Gro system. End result is the same but different mechanisms of operation.

The potential for flooding only exists during the fill cycle and what stops it from flooding is the mechanical float valve. If that float valve were to fail...flooding would occur during the fill cycle.

The controller pump only comes on during the drain cycle and does NOT operate at all during the fill cycle,

Flooding cannot exist during drain cycle because as soon as the level rises in the controller, gravity drainage stops. The plants could drowned but there would be no overflow.

I hope that clarifies the flood risk for you. It is minimal.

Hi Merfolk,
Hope you don't mind my responding to SS. This was actually a continuation of a previous explanation.

Hey, how are you coming on the project? Getting close?
ET

 

[Merfolk]

Hi Merfolk,
Hope you don't mind my responding to SS. This was actually a continuation of a previous explanation.

Hey, how are you coming on the project? Getting close?
ET

Hey, missed this response!

Im getting my ducks in a row so to speak, im moving into a new house within the new month, and plan on getting stuff going ASAP, i need to buy the sump pump, well, EVERYTHING! Buying the stuff within the next 2 weeks, looks like im easily dropping 1,500$ to start this project..

I will be running on 220v as far as lighting goes, i have ak48 Strain, and another unknown strain at my finger tips!

I do want to order a strain and have a good 3 to cycle around, so its not the same ol stuff -

But to directly answer your question, no, nothing is new, just buying the materials, gonna have to actully move my house, then start the project, so im a good 3 weeks away, but i will bump the thread when i have pictures of starting the project -

ultimitly i dont care how many # of plants i have, but if i cannot control the oder of 16 plants with a 6" Carbon filter AND a 8" - i wont do much more then this -


6" will just sit in the room and suck air, 8" will go through the cooltubes i think, not sure yet!


edit:

The plan would be to harvest 2 elbows per month when fully up and running, i can stuff more buckets i understand, but oder is #1

 

[Merfolk]

I still have no clue how im going to prune these plants, to make a big ass single cola or two, im sure the sides of the plant will be undevoloped so do i prune the side branches?

Lollypop effect?

i will experiment if no one can shed some light, but have you ever seen So Quick's leg's cola's? Some day man....Some day.

 

[EvilTwin]

Hi Merfolk,
You're going to be a busy fellow. Moving and setting up a grow!

On training...don't get carried away. Lollypopping is for small sog plants. I personally think it's a good idea when growing a new strain...to allow it to grow naturally with no pruning or trimming. That will allow you to observe the plants natural growing tendencies. Then you can see if it's a tall or not so tall. Bushy and branchy or no so much. That sort of thing.

Far as having a large single cola...that's mostly genetics. Some plants do that well and others don't. Most people these days discourage pruning lower branches and leaves (unless scrogging).

I recommended topping on an earlier post. Actually I believe I suggested a double topping. Reason I made that suggestion is because you said you have height restrictions. Was that true for your current location? ...or was that for the grow room in your new house?

But if a big ass single cola is what you're after...then just grow the plant. Severe training usually hinders rather then helps.
ET

 

[stillsmokin843]

ok i got ya sorry for the misunderstanding thanks for taking the time to explain good luck with every thing and hope it works for ya thanks again