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Coco dtw vs coco flood and drain buckets

W

WFAMFARMS

Member
Hello all, I'm designing a warehouse facility and was planning on running dtw with nutrient coders and skipping rez's all together . I have been checking out treetroit city lately and he used a flood and drain bucket style system like my old ebb and flow, with fabric pots set inside of the flood buckets. He claims the buckets use less water than the dtw, and the system would eliminate the need for floor drains.

I'm building this facility from the ground up and current have the trenches dug for all the floor drains, does anybody have experience in a medium to large scale setting with multiple rooms using dosers vs dtw? Any and all input is appreciated. Thank you for you time.
 
W

WFAMFARMS

Member
My current layout is 8-4x40' tables dtw with a floor drain at The end of each 40' table.
I was thinking using the coders would eliminate the possibility of reservoir based problems and thanks for of cleaning and mixing nutrients for different rooms every week.
 
W

WFAMFARMS

Member
In also curious what is being done with the nutrient rich run off waste water? We have a separate floor drain system thAt runs to a crock in the mechanical room, where it can then be pumped and filtered.
 
W

WFAMFARMS

Member
Thanks for the link iBogart, it seems like this would accomplish the same thing g as a moisture meter and a drip stake, which is what we saw out in the commercial set ups in Colorado's year.
 
W

WFAMFARMS

Member
Does anybody have experience with autopots? I'm wondering about growth rates in coco vs multi feeds either top feed or flood
 
W

WFAMFARMS

Member
Scratch that, $2554 at web hydroponics for the auto pot 100 which is 3.9 gallon plastic pots. The $5k system is the same thing except with smartpots
 
f-e

f-e

Well-known member
Mentor
Veteran
If eliminating the drains makes you happy, set your flood drain to drain, and drip into it.

I'm not fond of flooding coco. It causes compaction. The point of flood drain is aeration. It's a pebble system. For flash flooding every 4 hours, or working tables without plumbing to every plant. To do all the plumbing, then not do the flash floods, is a lot of work to make a poor system.

If saving water is important, then pump your waste back to a supply tank. Using UV filters to stop you spreading problems around.

A working flood drain is better than drip, but just using it for daily watering, isn't as good as drip. Due to the compaction and the saline layer that flooding causes. It's actually toxic to plants. Flooding to the same level each time, and letting it soak upwards to a place it's never leached from.

Pebbles for a productive ebb&flow. CoCo for a productive drip. Using smaller pots and regular feeding. You only need hit run-off once a day. If you're not even feeding once a day, the pots are to big to allow decent aeration, and leaching takes more water.


I know as things get bigger, control gets harder. Pressure compensation in a drip system is a lot easier than in flood drain though.

If you do go drip, consider running manifolds in your trenches, and having risers you can valve off. To accommodate different plant numbers. Like a zoning system. The risers can be quick connect hose fittings, in slightly raised floor boxes. The covers for which can be water tight when fitted. A lawn place has them. This keeps it tidy, so you can walk through easily. And jet-wash everything down.
 
I

iBogart

Active member
Veteran
Biologist said:
How do you avoid nutrient buildup in the autopot plants? What do people irrigate with?
Click to expand...

It's a sub irrigated planter. It works by wicking nutrient solution from the bottom and gravity feed by an elevated reservoir. Plants are fed as much as they drink so salt buildup is limited.
 
bsgospel

bsgospel

Bat Macumba
Veteran
Put in the floor drains. You may change your plans someday. Or like me, a sprinkler riser could explode and you'll be cursing yourself when it takes 8 hours to clean up 10000 gallons.
 
W

WFAMFARMS

Member
Thanks for the info guys. I think I'm gonna stick with the top feed system atm. The rooms will all have floor drains that go to the drain field, but there idea secondary floor drain system thAt runs to a crock in the mechanical room, for nutrient rich water as we don't to be dumping the nutrients into the drain field.
 
Biologist

Biologist

Active member
iBogart said:
It's a sub irrigated planter. It works by wicking nutrient solution from the bottom and gravity feed by an elevated reservoir. Plants are fed as much as they drink so salt buildup is limited.
Click to expand...

Maybe my understanding of this is incorrect but if you keep adding nutrient solution to the autopot and it never leaves, how is there not nutrient buildup? Do you dose with solution that is so dilute that it matches what the plant is using up? That's why I asked what solution is used with autopots in my original question. What ppm? There's no extra 20% runoff or so like people normally use that lets extra nutrients the plant doesn't need drain away. It seems like you would have to nail the ppm for each strain in different stages of growth or risk nutrient buildup or underdosing.
 
I

iBogart

Active member
Veteran
Biologist said:
Maybe my understanding of this is incorrect but if you keep adding nutrient solution to the autopot and it never leaves, how is there not nutrient buildup? Do you dose with solution that is so dilute that it matches what the plant is using up? That's why I asked what solution is used with autopots in my original question. What ppm? There's no extra 20% runoff or so like people normally use that lets extra nutrients the plant doesn't need drain away. It seems like you would have to nail the ppm for each strain in different stages of growth or risk nutrient buildup or underdosing.
Click to expand...

I see. There is a device that governs the water/nutrient solution mix called the aquavalve. It allows the medium to dry out before allowing nutrient solution to flow back. It's basically a float valve. PPM would be similar to DWC system, or a multi feed per day drip system. Under led's, I'd shoot for 700-800 (RO water) in full flower for most strains.
 
Last edited:
f-e

f-e

Well-known member
Mentor
Veteran
I like my root zone to produce run-off around CF16. It actually varies, but lets say that's today's target. I can drip in around 12-14 and as more water leaves than food, this will creep up until the next feed. Thus it will come out around CF16 when the 12-14 is applied again. I tailor this 12-14 to get that CF16.

To get that CF16 by base feeding or dunking, I'm giving something more like CF8-10


When I do flood/drain I top feed every couple of weeks. Or not at all. If I try to top feed just once as part of a final flush, they always get sick.


If you want the worst hydro weed taste possible, what would you do to get it? Having them grow roots into an area that burns them, is high on my list of bad tasting ideas. Along with making them sit in everything they don't want to eat.

I didn't care anything like as much until I started smoking neat. At which time I became unable to smoke most things. I was flooding pebbles at that time, and that top feed every week or two was the difference between smokable or trash.

Obviously people will be very upset to hear this, and will say it's untrue. It perhaps is for them. Most of the population can only separate the tastes of two things at once. So picking out individual feed component tastes can't be done. By most people.


We all like a well polished product. I don't think this comes from bottom feeding. I think it's too compromised. Though the water and food saving is great.
 
G

GodspeedGrows

New member
DTW is pissing money away dude. Especially when you consider a good coco run gets watered multiple times a day. I run coco flood and drain. I am usually able to run 30 gal on a 4x4 table for 3 weeks. I compensate nutrients/ppm with every topoff. Usually topoff once a week. So consider my cost per gram vs someone who is DTW.
 
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