Need Drippers input … 50 of 10 gal buckets

Sorry I missed your updates bro....GF and I`ve been at the beach for couple weeks since Hurricane Harvey caused some cancellations at my rental house.....anyways....

I`ll get back to you tomorrow hopefully , but it`s Labor Day weekend with football and buncha grillin and smokin goin on for fam and friends comin down to visit , so bear with me...

I`m sure we can dial you in as long as your goals and intentions are straightforward as to what you want to accomplish in certain timeframes for hopefully perpetual to keep the ball rolling with harvests continually....regardless........

Good luck....DHF.........

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Ok bro....Since you`ve undertaken such an expensive project , let`s make sure you have optimal returns on your investment with all but no factors that can cause total crop failure.....that said....

What you`re setting yourself up for using big ass 10 gal containers with growrocks or hydroton in a totally recirculating hydro setup to grow big plants , is the X factor you have to stay on top of constantly with using unnecessary chillers to MAKE SURE nutrient solution rez temps AND container temps stay below 70 degrees F to prevent anaerobic bacteria from growing and rotting each plant`s rootzone , .....now....

The SAFEST way to grow big plants in a production environment is with Delta9nxs ` "PPK" that has evolved to the point of redundancy where the plants all but grow themselves , and I`m talking about up to 4 lb + plants with dialed strains , proper watts per sq ft and environment.....so let`s do this right the first time and I guarantee you won`t regret it after the first harvest I assure you.....

No chillers required , top fed/pulse fed every 90 mins to 2 hrs depending on plant`s needs , no chance of root rot with majority of all roots being in the "upper" container while using a "wick/tailpiece" connected to lower container as in 3.5-5 gal buckets with......

A +/- 4" air gap between upper container and nutrient solution in bottom container that constantly moves back to rez as pulse feeds occur for upper container "gas exchange" providing constant O2 to roots while constantly recirculating back to rez over 24 hr period .....ok.....

There are other aspects that need to be addressed as far as feed and drain is concerned , so let patience be a virtue and just back up for a couple days and do research on D9`s "PPK" here in hydro section....then.....

Since you intend on using 50-1 KW lights with 50 plants but yet want to utilize vertical hung bare bulbs plus horizontals above each plant , I can save you cash by changing the bare bulbs to "EYE Horti" 600`s with DE "dimmable" Gavita`s above dialed in for 50 watts per sq ft combined from vert and horizontal lights once flipped 12/12.....IOW.....

Get 50-1KW Gavita dimmable horizontal lights over each plant , and not even worry about the side lighting until they get taller than the upper lights can penetrate which is a good 32-36" , maybe more with the new DE fixtures , and then kick on the bare bulbs hanging as they get taller during stretch till end of cycle for sideways light penetration for mid and lower limbs to optimize total plant flower production without popcorn larfy lowers.....but.....

Not trying to tell yas what to do , but rather steer you in the right direction.....You`ve never spoke of grower experience , but I can only hope with this type investment you have knowledge and experience.....anyways....

Holler if I can help....and I stand by PPK to make you wealthy and healthy.....

Peace....DHF.........

Damn, I hope you got a good trim crew. DHF is going to have you swimming in bud.

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Wasn`t even aware of the "chillers" for cooling , but rather just saying no rez chillers are required with PPK setups.....now...

I`ll hit D9 up and see if he`ll chime in , but his thread "Something wicked this way comes" here in hydro section will give you a good over view of what needs to be done with each plant module having it`s own :control bucket" AND individual pump because it`s a low maintenance system with very few moving parts .....but....

Hydroton and Growrocks to my knowledge have never been tested in this setup , but the medium`s air porosity needs to be around 35% for optimal results per D9`s experience , not to say with more frequent feed sequences that said rocks wouldn`t work.....but....

The mediums of choice are several to pick from , so hopefully I`ll get D9 to help steer you in the right direction for the best yielding substrate.......that said.....

Vertical bulbs only blast light sideways with little to no light directly above OR below , so that`s why I suggested the horizontal fixtures above each plant needed to be enough wattage to penetrate as deep as possible from above while allowing the side lighting to take care of the mid and lower laterals....but.....

50 watts per sq ft is optimal for dialed conditions , so thoughts to ponder on how to supply it with bigger plants.....anyways.....

Got another Hurricane headed my way so do some research and I be around.....

Good luck....DHF..........