recirculating drip in hydroton

[Marshall]

anyone doing recirculating drip in hydroton? I currently run E&F tables with larger pots and the entire root zone does not get flooded. So I was thinking of running a manifold drip system.

My concern is will the hydroton wick enough water to spread it around evenly?

I was also thinking of running the E&F along with the drip, to make sure all the top roots got watered.

 

[BrainSellz]

anyone doing recirculating drip in hydroton? I currently run E&F tables with larger pots and the entire root zone does not get flooded. So I was thinking of running a manifold drip system.

My concern is will the hydroton wick enough water to spread it around evenly?

I was also thinking of running the E&F along with the drip, to make sure all the top roots got watered.

The hydroton and roots wick the water around pretty evenly in my experience.....hope this helps

 

[ZZTops]

I do it in 5gal buckets with 3 microtubes per plant, works great...

Good thing about a drip system with hydroton is you can use less water more often...

 

[chadbudsicle]

the build im doing right now will be utilizing a drip manifold with hydroton, shallow tray in a micro cab. my test runs have gone quite well

 

[Apicalmeristem]

I just started a top drip recirculating system in five gally buckets. It seems to be working out really well. I start my plants in a ebb and flow table then transplant them in to the buckets once they have rooted out the net pots
Ive had these girls going for about four days in the buckets and they will veg another two weeks before flip
Im very excited to see how these buckets perform

 

[highonmt]

Yep it works great. Because off hydrotons hydrophyllic nature all you need is a single drip line to get something like this

If you need advice on running hydroton drip search for posts by theresa and soquick the above photo is from soquicks legendary thread "ic mag is boring as shit" this is the one of the best and easiest systems to run imo.
good luck
HM

 

[Apicalmeristem]

Hey High I believe those are 2.5 gallon containers that soquick was running that was why he only had a single feed line, Most people use two or a drip ring when using larger buckets.

 

[kaarma]

I just started a top drip recirculating system in five gally buckets. It seems to be working out really well. I start my plants in a ebb and flow table then transplant them in to the buckets once they have rooted out the net pots
Ive had these girls going for about four days in the buckets and they will veg another two weeks before flip
Im very excited to see how these buckets perform

Hi
that looks like a great system, could you describe how it works?

 

[Apicalmeristem]

Hey Kaarma, its a super simple system. Its one bucket in another , the inside bucket is perforated with a drill (holes being around the same size as the hydroton so it doesnt fall out) and the outside bucket has a 3/4 e&f fitting that is connected to a drain line that runs back to the rez. As you see it feeds from 1/4 tube made into a homemade drip ring, those 1/4 lines come out of a 1/2 main feed line that is connected to the pump, pump is a 340 gph pump, Hope this helps Kaarma

 

[highonmt]

Hey High I believe those are 2.5 gallon containers that soquick was running that was why he only had a single feed line, Most people use two or a drip ring when using larger buckets.

Yep quick used @1.5 gallon pots with holes in the bottom placed in an outer 2.5 gallon pot and pulse fed . And you are right that many people use the drip halos I really don't think they are necessary in hydroton in net pots tho. Are you running a 3/4 full 5gallon bucket of hydroton in those buckets? I've been running these systems lately in 3.5 gal buckets and 5 gal buckets and you really only need the single 1/4 line running at as high a flow rate as you like or your return lines can handle. I've found that 160 gph magdrive pump feeding 1/4 lines works well for 4 plants, but 160gph in 1/2 feed per plant workes even better and will just about max out a 3/4 return line for 2 plants. The great thing about drip systems is you can run them several different ways eg. (pulse feed, Heath Robinson style hi flow, constant low flow drip etc) and they seem to always kick ass. This is a pic of some diesels I gew out in 3.5gallon square bucket drip system 9" net pots single 1/4 feed @40gph per plant, pump on when the lights were,

Cheers,
HM

 

[gmanwho]

just started using 1/2 hose drip into 2.5 gallon buckets. If i did it again, I WOULD RUN 3/4" line, dont fuck with the 1/2, GO 3/4!!!! beside root clog, hydroton can clog a 1/2" line easily.


i got a thread going with 3 different systems. the top drip is kicking ass an i noticed increase growth over my ebb& gro system, an my biy ebb flood bucket system. also have 2-3 inches of water at bottom . . kinda like a recirc waterfarm with airsotnes.

b-well an b-safe

 

[gmanwho]

3/4 line for the return i meant to say!!!. 1/2" feed is awesome... sorry my proxy wont allow me to edit..

 

[Marshall]

(pulse feed, Heath Robinson style hi flow, constant low flow drip etc) and they seem to always kick ass. This is a pic of some diesels I gew out in 3.5gallon square bucket drip system 9" net pots single 1/4 feed @40gph per plant, pump on when the lights were,



Cheers,
HM

what do you mean by hi flow, constant low flow,etc?


are you saying your plants were being fed whenever the lights were on? Wouldnt you want the hydroton to dry out some

 

[highonmt]

what do you mean by hi flow, constant low flow,etc?


are you saying your plants were being fed whenever the lights were on? Wouldnt you want the hydroton to dry out some

Hi flow means just what you'd think, a constant high volume flow of nutrients (search Heath Robinson); pulsed means running a pulse of water through the planters followed by a period of drying so say 30sec on/ 50min off(see soquick); low flow would mean a constant trickle out of a 1/4" line (search theresa) and drip emmitters work OK but size of the net pot and media choice becomes a big concern in true drip . The pictures I posted are of plants in a system similar to theresa's,pump was on the same timer as the light
Good luck drip systems can be super high yeildingHM

 

[samba]

I cant see a problem with running them at the same time, ebb n drip. Never done it but I would think there is only benefits...

 

[Marshall]

man and I thought there was one way to drip.... LOL

 

[zachrockbadenof]

we run a waterfarms system... dripping 24/7 veg and flowering... no extra stone...seems to work fine...