synchro.surfer
Member
I was wondering if anyone out there is running multi level shelves with drippers ??
-
Happy Birthday ICMag! Been 20 years since Gypsy Nirvana created the forum! We are celebrating with a 4/20 Giveaway and by launching a new Patreon tier called "420club". You can read more here.
-
Important notice: ICMag's T.O.U. has been updated. Please review it here. For your convenience, it is also available in the main forum menu, under 'Quick Links"!
Vertical Shelves with drippers ???
- Thread starter synchro.surfer
- Start date
i am not but originally i as leaning towards that. u can get a high plant count that way. i decided to veg longer and and just have long tall plants. 10 plants fits well around a 6" cool tube. I think you could just veg for less time and do 2 levels for a total 20 plants or even 3 layers for 30.
check this thing out.. i might give them a try next round.
like a vert SOG
http://www.plantstands.com/tiered-plant-stands/indoor-tiered-plant-stands/decorative3tierrack.cfm
check this thing out.. i might give them a try next round.
like a vert SOG
http://www.plantstands.com/tiered-plant-stands/indoor-tiered-plant-stands/decorative3tierrack.cfm
ooops.. duplicate post.
oh my bad. i WAS NOT saying that exact thing ha ha. just the idea of something like that... you could make four wall of plants like that.
that would be cool for 2 gallon smart pots of coco with drippers. Off set of course so the drain off isnt pouring on the plants below.
(_)__(_)__(_)__
_(_)__(_)___(_)
(_)__(_)__(_)__
something like that. but not that pretty expensive ass thing. sorry for not being clear.
I am still on the hunt for some cinder blocks to prop up the plants in my back row.
that would be cool for 2 gallon smart pots of coco with drippers. Off set of course so the drain off isnt pouring on the plants below.
(_)__(_)__(_)__
_(_)__(_)___(_)
(_)__(_)__(_)__
something like that. but not that pretty expensive ass thing. sorry for not being clear.
I am still on the hunt for some cinder blocks to prop up the plants in my back row.
toastfighter2
Active member
Lowes sells metal adjustable closet shelving that would work perfect, and they are a lot cheaper than that bakers rack.
synchro.surfer
Member
Thanks for the info guys ...
The Shelving isn't the issue ... its wrapping my head around setting up a dripper system along with it.
If one were to go the Pump + reservoir route i'm guessing you would need an extra strong pump for the lines that go all the way up to the top shelf (6' 6" or so).
If one were to go the Blumat Tropf route
http://www.blumat.at/automatic-watering-system.php#bltropf
Your reservoir has to be a certain Height above the feeders themselves. Working with 8'6" ceilings it only leaves a couple of feet of height to play with ... not too mention the weight of the reservoirs when you lift them that high.
The Shelving isn't the issue ... its wrapping my head around setting up a dripper system along with it.
If one were to go the Pump + reservoir route i'm guessing you would need an extra strong pump for the lines that go all the way up to the top shelf (6' 6" or so).
If one were to go the Blumat Tropf route
http://www.blumat.at/automatic-watering-system.php#bltropf
Your reservoir has to be a certain Height above the feeders themselves. Working with 8'6" ceilings it only leaves a couple of feet of height to play with ... not too mention the weight of the reservoirs when you lift them that high.
Vermonster
Active member
I am in the process of designing vertical stadium beds that are mix of northern farmer and Soma......w a BOG soil mix 
I am basically going to use a drip irrigation system that i would use in an outdoor garden....or hand water......i mean just running soaker house between the rocks and mesh cloth, water from below....idk still kind a hammering out idea.....
I am basically going to use a drip irrigation system that i would use in an outdoor garden....or hand water......i mean just running soaker house between the rocks and mesh cloth, water from below....idk still kind a hammering out idea.....
Yes, just get a strong pump, it doesn't have to be super strong... I think I had a 200gph pump pushing water up about 5ft no prob. Better to go bigger I suppose if you're concerned about pressure. Anyway, pump your water up to a big ring, and have the drip lines drop down to the plants. I don't think bluemats would be practical for this application, unless you could support a heavy ass reservoir, and pump your water up into it. Too much lifting for a permanent setup.
If you're doing a drip system, why use soil? Coco is the answer! IDK what BOG soil mix consists of, but if you just get some coco, mix it 50/50 with some perlite, and feed your plants 6/9 micro/bloom every day pH 5.5-6.0 (you're using drippers, why not even 2x late flower), and p/k boosts. It's the most simple hydro there is I think, and it really isn't any more work than growing in soil, with the exception of more watering, but you get better results. Ok, the better results is my opinion. I was never particularly good at growing in dirt indoors.
If you're doing a drip system, why use soil? Coco is the answer! IDK what BOG soil mix consists of, but if you just get some coco, mix it 50/50 with some perlite, and feed your plants 6/9 micro/bloom every day pH 5.5-6.0 (you're using drippers, why not even 2x late flower), and p/k boosts. It's the most simple hydro there is I think, and it really isn't any more work than growing in soil, with the exception of more watering, but you get better results. Ok, the better results is my opinion. I was never particularly good at growing in dirt indoors.
synchro.surfer
Member
@ Vermonster - I've always loved the idea of beds but i've yet to get to trying some out. That stadium beds idea sounds awesome.
What venue/show is your Avatar of !? I wish I was there right now
Good quote too ...
@ Bobblehead - That ring idea sounds great ... Seeing as I only have experience hand watering smart pots with soil , I'm guessing you would need some type of regulator if you're using a pump? Wouldn't it just keep feeding and flood the pots?
I really want to integrate drippers because i'm completely OVER hand watering day to day. I'm a fan of auto-pilot at this point and thats what i'm trying to get to. Do you have any links for a complete hydro beginner to comb through?? As it is i'm only 2 weeks into my first flowering and really dont know what to boost or when with my soil mix. I'm still learning
First thing i've learned is hand watering day to day is a PITA for my current setup ...
What venue/show is your Avatar of !? I wish I was there right now
Good quote too ...
@ Bobblehead - That ring idea sounds great ... Seeing as I only have experience hand watering smart pots with soil , I'm guessing you would need some type of regulator if you're using a pump? Wouldn't it just keep feeding and flood the pots?
I really want to integrate drippers because i'm completely OVER hand watering day to day. I'm a fan of auto-pilot at this point and thats what i'm trying to get to. Do you have any links for a complete hydro beginner to comb through?? As it is i'm only 2 weeks into my first flowering and really dont know what to boost or when with my soil mix. I'm still learning
First thing i've learned is hand watering day to day is a PITA for my current setup ...
what you do is get a digital timer. Get like 1/2gph drippers, they're slow enough, but not too slow. With the digital timer you can control the drip time down to a minute. You can even do seconds if you get an expensive timer, but that's not necessary.
Now you just have to keep that reservoir topped off, and you can water them anytime. I would suggest watering once a day or every other day during the first 2 weeks of flower. Then as they start using more water, water them again. So like water them at lights on and lights off. Just enough to get it wet, no run-off necessary.
With this method, you can water everything 6/9 up to the flush, and just add the p/k feedings manually. No worries about multi-strain grows, you just pull the hose and start flushing. I'm very happy with it. I don't have time for mistakes.
Get like 1/2gph drippers, they're slow enough, but not too slow. With the digital timer you can control the drip time down to a minute. You can even do seconds if you get an expensive timer, but that's not necessary. Now you just have to keep that reservoir topped off, and you can water them anytime. I would suggest watering once a day or every other day during the first 2 weeks of flower. Then as they start using more water, water them again. So like water them at lights on and lights off. Just enough to get it wet, no run-off necessary.
With this method, you can water everything 6/9 up to the flush, and just add the p/k feedings manually. No worries about multi-strain grows, you just pull the hose and start flushing. I'm very happy with it. I don't have time for mistakes.
Coco 101
Buy the botanicare or GH 5kg coco block. I prefer Botanicare. Add water. It's the shit. I mix it about 50/50 with horticulture grade perlite. I don't understand buying the expensive stuff. Maybe I'll try it one day. Your growing medium is ready, and it was a lot lighter to carry than bags of soil. A lot smaller too if you're concerned about that kinda thing.
Feeding the plants
Ok, so you need to pH your water. Well, I've found that meters can break and ruin a crop. I don't like that. I use the $5 dye kit to test my pH. I measure how much acid it takes to get the pH of my water to 6.0. Now I add exactly that much acid for each gallon of water, and I don't have test pH unless I change acids. TDS/PPM/EC meter, what's that for? Just follow the formula... Don't use hard water. So, here's my procedure for preparing water.
1 gal tap water + 9ml diluted acid + 3mL silica blast + 6mL GH Micro + 9mL GH Bloom.
Feed your plants every day, every other day for veg and first 2 weeks of bloom. All my veg plants get the same 6/9 formula. It's real simple. Same amount of work as dirt, except more watering. Better results.
Buy the botanicare or GH 5kg coco block. I prefer Botanicare. Add water. It's the shit. I mix it about 50/50 with horticulture grade perlite. I don't understand buying the expensive stuff. Maybe I'll try it one day. Your growing medium is ready, and it was a lot lighter to carry than bags of soil. A lot smaller too if you're concerned about that kinda thing.
Feeding the plants
Ok, so you need to pH your water. Well, I've found that meters can break and ruin a crop. I don't like that. I use the $5 dye kit to test my pH. I measure how much acid it takes to get the pH of my water to 6.0. Now I add exactly that much acid for each gallon of water, and I don't have test pH unless I change acids. TDS/PPM/EC meter, what's that for? Just follow the formula... Don't use hard water. So, here's my procedure for preparing water.
1 gal tap water + 9ml diluted acid + 3mL silica blast + 6mL GH Micro + 9mL GH Bloom.
Feed your plants every day, every other day for veg and first 2 weeks of bloom. All my veg plants get the same 6/9 formula. It's real simple. Same amount of work as dirt, except more watering. Better results.
This is my most recently completed grow. You can see the drip lines running up the bags. You can put your ring around the ground. That would be better, idk what I was thinking, just make sure it's water tight. Electricity above water is the rule to follow.
simple drip thats cheap and works perfectly with vert shelves. just make sure the entire run is in a loop for even pressure.....
depending on the size of pot, running 2 or 3 times a day for 5 minutes is perfection.....
depending on the size of pot, running 2 or 3 times a day for 5 minutes is perfection.....
synchro.surfer
Member
@ Bobble - big thanks man ... I've been pH'ing my water for sometime for my mothers (over 6 mo. old) boy i've put those girls through hell hahaha ... I've been using a bluelab truncheon for an EC meter although I love that measurement method you're using ... I hate dicking around with meters and ph up and down Earth Juice powders but whatever , it must be done , right?
For the feeding everyday ... how long do you run your drippers for each feeding ?? Also what size are your bags/pots ??
I was just combing through the H3ad thread and they were mentioning feeding 2-3 times a day ?? I'm guessing they probably only feed for a minute or 2 at a time in that case.
@ Krunch - hey man
thanks for dropping in. 5 minutes you say ?? I'd most likely be running 1 gal smart pots so i'm guessing anything more than a minute would be overkill ??
I'm not sure I fully understand whats going on in picture one. Is that a filter intersecting the two lines - 1 for the left and 1 for the right ?? Does that ring reconnect at their ends outside of the pictures view??
... As it is right now i'm on custom built wooden shelves with no backs ... 8 racks to form an octagon around 600's. Each rack has five shelves on it. Shelves go straight up and down above and below each other.
I spent a fair amount on a bunch of 1 gallon smart pots (as well as that wood) so ideally i'm going to make those work as best as I can since I spent so much on them.
At this point i'm thinking I MIGHT , depending on new ideas , disassemble those shelves and redesign the whole thing ... Or just attempt to add backs and seal up the shelves so they dont leak everywhere like they do now when I hand water.
For the feeding everyday ... how long do you run your drippers for each feeding ?? Also what size are your bags/pots ??
I was just combing through the H3ad thread and they were mentioning feeding 2-3 times a day ?? I'm guessing they probably only feed for a minute or 2 at a time in that case.
@ Krunch - hey man
thanks for dropping in. 5 minutes you say ?? I'd most likely be running 1 gal smart pots so i'm guessing anything more than a minute would be overkill ??I'm not sure I fully understand whats going on in picture one. Is that a filter intersecting the two lines - 1 for the left and 1 for the right ?? Does that ring reconnect at their ends outside of the pictures view??
... As it is right now i'm on custom built wooden shelves with no backs ... 8 racks to form an octagon around 600's. Each rack has five shelves on it. Shelves go straight up and down above and below each other.
I spent a fair amount on a bunch of 1 gallon smart pots (as well as that wood) so ideally i'm going to make those work as best as I can since I spent so much on them.
At this point i'm thinking I MIGHT , depending on new ideas , disassemble those shelves and redesign the whole thing ... Or just attempt to add backs and seal up the shelves so they dont leak everywhere like they do now when I hand water.
I hear good things about the smart pots, but I've never tried them. I use plastic grow bags, super cheap...
The feeding frequency is dependent. Depends on root mass, temperature, humidity, etc... When plants are freshly transplanted, it's good to let the coco dry out a little, that way the roots will stretch down to the bottom. Then once the roots are established, water every day. If you use a bigger than necessary pot, then you don't have to water every day. I've seen people grow trees in 1 gal bags of coco, but I'm sure they were watering frequently. Personally I start my plants in solo cups as seeds or clones, then they upgrade to a 1gal bag, and then when it's flower time I put them in 3gal bags. I feel that several 1 minute waterings are best. As many as the pot can take without having run-off. I feel that it's best to have a regular supply of fresh nutes, as opposed to being drowned in fresh nutes, and then left to dry out until the next drowning.
Really you just have to figure out what works for you and your setup. It's part of dialing in your room.
Oh hey, here's an additional thought. If you're using drippers, you have to use a fertilizer that isn't going to clog them. IDK what the stuff you're using looks like, but I've never had a problem with GH.
The feeding frequency is dependent. Depends on root mass, temperature, humidity, etc... When plants are freshly transplanted, it's good to let the coco dry out a little, that way the roots will stretch down to the bottom. Then once the roots are established, water every day. If you use a bigger than necessary pot, then you don't have to water every day. I've seen people grow trees in 1 gal bags of coco, but I'm sure they were watering frequently. Personally I start my plants in solo cups as seeds or clones, then they upgrade to a 1gal bag, and then when it's flower time I put them in 3gal bags. I feel that several 1 minute waterings are best. As many as the pot can take without having run-off. I feel that it's best to have a regular supply of fresh nutes, as opposed to being drowned in fresh nutes, and then left to dry out until the next drowning.
Really you just have to figure out what works for you and your setup. It's part of dialing in your room.
Oh hey, here's an additional thought. If you're using drippers, you have to use a fertilizer that isn't going to clog them. IDK what the stuff you're using looks like, but I've never had a problem with GH.
@ Bobble - big thanks man ... I've been pH'ing my water for sometime for my mothers (over 6 mo. old) boy i've put those girls through hell hahaha ... I've been using a bluelab truncheon for an EC meter although I love that measurement method you're using ... I hate dicking around with meters and ph up and down Earth Juice powders but whatever , it must be done , right?
For the feeding everyday ... how long do you run your drippers for each feeding ?? Also what size are your bags/pots ??
I was just combing through the H3ad thread and they were mentioning feeding 2-3 times a day ?? I'm guessing they probably only feed for a minute or 2 at a time in that case.
@ Krunch - hey man
I'm not sure I fully understand whats going on in picture one. Is that a filter intersecting the two lines - 1 for the left and 1 for the right ?? Does that ring reconnect at their ends outside of the pictures view??
... As it is right now i'm on custom built wooden shelves with no backs ... 8 racks to form an octagon around 600's. Each rack has five shelves on it. Shelves go straight up and down above and below each other.
I spent a fair amount on a bunch of 1 gallon smart pots (as well as that wood) so ideally i'm going to make those work as best as I can since I spent so much on them.
At this point i'm thinking I MIGHT , depending on new ideas , disassemble those shelves and redesign the whole thing ... Or just attempt to add backs and seal up the shelves so they dont leak everywhere like they do now when I hand water.
it goes pump, filter the it "T's" off one line goes left, one right. the left one goes left then up to the upper shelves, goes all the way around and connects to the right tube for a complete loop...
synchro.surfer
Member
@ Bobble - I was affraid you'd say that hahaha. I'm just now really , finally getting my room dialed in with this soil setup i've got goin ... finally got the DeHu sitting around 50-60% and an A/C working properly at around 77-82ish. I water them every couple days. Then maybe every 2 weeks or so give them a good soaking. I'm guessing the coco wont be THAT much different ??
Also for nutes i've been using the General ORGANICS line ... good thing I got the quart bottles because i'm guessing they aren't going to do to well with drippers. Like most beginners i've got a small collection of a bunch of different nutes I THOUGHT i was going to need and haven't quite used just yet. I actually do have some GH Micro and Grow that I was using in my aero cloner turned veg machine
@ Krunch - thanks for the details man
Exactly what kind of filter is that anyways ?? Just a sediment filter ?? How would I look one of those up to purchase it ??
*passes the spliff to bobble and krunch*
Also for nutes i've been using the General ORGANICS line ... good thing I got the quart bottles because i'm guessing they aren't going to do to well with drippers. Like most beginners i've got a small collection of a bunch of different nutes I THOUGHT i was going to need and haven't quite used just yet. I actually do have some GH Micro and Grow that I was using in my aero cloner turned veg machine
@ Krunch - thanks for the details man
Exactly what kind of filter is that anyways ?? Just a sediment filter ?? How would I look one of those up to purchase it ??
*passes the spliff to bobble and krunch*
Vermonster
Active member
I used Beds a few times and they are awesome, pretty much eveyrthing I do is a mix of BOG/Soma and some tricks i learned up in VT....
That Avatar is Hampton! few days an back on teerrrrr!!!!!
That Avatar is Hampton! few days an back on teerrrrr!!!!!
Krunchbubbles drip setup is a perfect example of how you want to do things. Get the filter for sure if you recirculate your nutes, cause you don't want coco clogging up your drip lines either... I've had that happen. Now I just run Drain-to-Waste, with no run-off to drain...
If you choose to transition from dirt to coco, and I think you should, I think you'll do just fine! I think you get the idea, if they're wet, treat them like dirt plants. If the pot is dry on top, give em water. That's the beautiful thing about coco, is you can't over-water. Too much water is just wasted nutes. Looking forward to your future updates.
