Flooding duration?

[breaktheory]

I've seen a number of opinions on how OFTEN to flood but not how long to flood for...

I've been going 2 x a day for 15 minutes with the water going halfway up 6" rockwool blocks -

this allows the top to dry out although the bottom still is heavy with water when the second feeding comes.


kindly advise

 

[breaktheory]

?

 

[RedReign]

I flood for 15 mins because my timer has 15 min increments. All you really need is long enough to fill the tray to your chosen overflow height.

 

[breaktheory]

It takes 3 minutes to hit my overflow valve...that seems like less than enough time no? Right now I have it going 2 x a day for 10 mins - water level comes up halfway to top of cubes

 

[budrot]

I flood 8 x day, 15 mins every hour with a break at mid day.

Plants love the fresh nutes and air.

 

[growshopfrank]

It takes 3 minutes to hit my overflow valve...that seems like less than enough time no? Right now I have it going 2 x a day for 10 mins - water level comes up halfway to top of cubes

Sounds like 3 minutes will do the trick. A six inch rockwool cube only needs to be flooded one to one and a half inches and it will draw the solution up through capillary action.
one flood a day would probably work well for the first couple of weeks then two floods around eight hours apart (while lights on)
I get nervous if my rockwool flood and drain still has water on it for more than ten minutes after the pump starts
do it right and when you flip over a cube all that you see is nice white healthy smelling roots

 

[growshopfrank]

I flood 8 x day, 15 mins every hour with a break at mid day.

Plants love the fresh nutes and air.

this irrigation cycle would be great with clay pellets or other fast drying media but a root rotting nightmare with rockwool.

 

[urbanfog]

this irrigation cycle would be great with clay pellets or other fast drying media but a root rotting nightmare with rockwool.

Thanks for the explanation, I also feed 8 times and was going to respond, but I do use hydroton for my media

Urban

 

[303hydro]

Growshop Frank hit it on the nose. Twice.

 

[breaktheory]

cool - while we're on the subject of timing...when you do a clearex/final phase loaded flush for 1 day, do you replace the nute solution with the clearex and let your normal timer flood the table or do you want more saturation with the flushing stuff?

 

[budrot]

this irrigation cycle would be great with clay pellets or other fast drying media but a root rotting nightmare with rockwool.

Use Fytocell dude, it is impossible to over-water and it is the best thing you can grow your plants in.

Nothing beats Fytocell on all counts. Growth rates, yeild and ease of use - Fytocell fact.

The quicker you guys get onto Fytocell the better your grows will be.

Honestly, you are seriously missing out if you don't use this.