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Blah's First Ppk

Mr Blah

Member
The thing that gets me is that I used 50/50 perlite/turface and put just perlite in the tailpipe with an 1" covering the bottom of the bucket also putting a screen over that and more perlite. Than the 50/50 medium.

On the most recent vegging plants that I put in the system I have been putting 2 layers of mesh for the stop of roots penetrating the tailpipe.

So far so good on those.

As for not draining right, Should I give the bucket a shake? Or poke something down into the root mass? I can't really pick up the top bucket while it is in flower as it is fully attached to the screen.
 

delta9nxs

No Jive Productions
Veteran
is this plant one that you just had an air gap issue with? if so, and you have corrected the air gap to 4" you may have already fixed it and are just seeing the residual damage.

what is the water depth in your reservoir? it should be 7". one of the 3.5 gal buckets filled to 7" leaves a 4" air gap.
 

Mr Blah

Member
is this plant one that you just had an air gap issue with? if so, and you have corrected the air gap to 4" you may have already fixed it and are just seeing the residual damage.

what is the water depth in your reservoir? it should be 7". one of the 3.5 gal buckets filled to 7" leaves a 4" air gap.

The water depth in flower room with the issue now corrected is 7" but it was 8.5"

I just checked the vegging one and it is 7.75". So I have to correct that as well.

Got another question for you; Can I transplant a 30" tall (vegged UC) from my undercurrent system into a PPK site? Will it be too shocked and die or has it been done before?
Thanks
 

delta9nxs

No Jive Productions
Veteran
The water depth in flower room with the issue now corrected is 7" but it was 8.5"

I just checked the vegging one and it is 7.75". So I have to correct that as well.

Got another question for you; Can I transplant a 30" tall (vegged UC) from my undercurrent system into a PPK site? Will it be too shocked and die or has it been done before?
Thanks

you can but it's going to be slow adapting. you have already developed roots predomitably adapted for removing o2 from water and are transplanting into a device that requires roots largely adapted to removing o2 from air.

you will have to trim the uc rootball or you will end up wrapping roots around in a circle just to get them into the pot.

i think that you would be better off time wise just taking a group of clones off the 30" plant rather than trying to get it to adapt. it may survive but probably will not ever do really well.
 

C.O.B.

Member
Next...What I have learned in this growing game is that things can add up quick so cutting cost is always a good thing.
When I saw that D9 was just shoving hoses in pipes without the use of threaded fittings and barbs....I was all in.
Unlike the PVC pipe in my last post, the wall of the plastic bucket is a bit thinner. I used a tapper bit and stopped at 13/16" and shoved the recommended Goodyr hose in.
[URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/attachment.php?attachmentid=363067&thumb=1]View Image[/URL]

[URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/attachment.php?attachmentid=363068&thumb=1]View Image[/URL]

[URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/attachment.php?attachmentid=363069&thumb=1]View Image[/URL]

The next photo is of a tiny version of what each flower room will look like. The bottom 1" "T's" with barbs coming out, are the level pipes that are all connected to bottom buckets going against the outside walls of the tent and connected to the control bucket, which will be placed outside each tent.
The top "T's" sitting ontop will be the 3/4 lines barbed out for 1/2" feed lines.
All of this will make sense later when I piece it all together.
[URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/attachment.php?attachmentid=363070&thumb=1]View Image[/URL]

Mr Blah, how far up from the bottom of the buckets are you drilling the hole for the goodyear/continental hose?

Also, haven't seen this mentioned or asked, has anyone pondered the idea of using those black soaker hoses to pulse or even flood? Was in the ho'dpo the other day and saw those hoses. Seems like laying them flat in a circular design like the halos would indeed create an even distribution of the feed event. Peace.

C.O.B.
 

Snook

Still Learning
Veteran
Mr Blah, how far up from the bottom of the buckets are you drilling the hole for the goodyear/continental hose?

Also, haven't seen this mentioned or asked, has anyone pondered the idea of using those black soaker hoses to pulse or even flood? Was in the ho'dpo the other day and saw those hoses. Seems like laying them flat in a circular design like the halos would indeed create an even distribution of the feed event. Peace.
C.O.B.
the idea is to put the pulse/flood in asap, creating more sucking down of O2 as the pulse/flood drains. the 'sensei' would say "the plunger effect"
 

C.O.B.

Member
Understood Snook. What I was asking is, if the soaker hose would be a good idea for a halo ring,drip ring made of garden hose and pvc or electric through fittings and tees, etc.. Not trying to re create the system. Was just pondering the idea. Peace.

C.O.B.
 

Snook

Still Learning
Veteran
what i was trying to say and didn't do a very good job of it is, the soaker hose won't/doesn't produce the 'flood/pulse' quickly enough. A soaker hoses oozes water slowly and does not dump it and the plunger affect sucking O2 down with the receding water doesn't happen much. am I on a different track than you are bro?
 

McKush

Éirinn go Brách
ICMag Donor
Veteran
D9 was doing more of a micro or mini feed dose Av reportedbut not sure D9 has confirmed and if so why and to what result?...

Less more often seems to be the overall consensus ive seen by following ppk for 3 or 4 years. I did full flood and wont go back.
 

Mr Blah

Member
Mr Blah, how far up from the bottom of the buckets are you drilling the hole for the goodyear/continental hose?

Also, haven't seen this mentioned or asked, has anyone pondered the idea of using those black soaker hoses to pulse or even flood? Was in the ho'dpo the other day and saw those hoses. Seems like laying them flat in a circular design like the halos would indeed create an even distribution of the feed event. Peace.

C.O.B.
Honestly don't think I measured but it is as low as you can get it to the bottom all while still having enough side wall plastic to go around the hose. Hope that made sense. If in doubt just look at the pictures closely and determine the lowest point.
 

delta9nxs

No Jive Productions
Veteran
D9 was doing more of a micro or mini feed dose Av reportedbut not sure D9 has confirmed and if so why and to what result?...

Less more often seems to be the overall consensus ive seen by following ppk for 3 or 4 years. I did full flood and wont go back.

i read some interesting research papers on pulsed irrigation and the general consensus is that the plant responded to frequent, small irrigation events better than one or a few larger volume events. even if the same total amount was delivered in a 24 hour period.

there is an "ideal" band of moisture for the highest growth rate. and the more time the plant spends in that band the more growth you will have.

in a scenario where the plant is being watered once per day, the medium, while getting enough total moisture for the plant to survive, will still be outside of that "ideal" band most of the time.

also, the moisture in a container is graded rapidly by gravity into a retention curve with the least moisture at the top and the most at the bottom. from there it will dry down evenly but still graded so that it will be too dry at the top most of the time in a 24 hour period.

by frequent pulsing you are keeping the entire medium more evenly wet.

the ideal situation is where the particles of the medium are holding maximum water but there is also maximum air filled porosity.

i think it was lucas who said something like "plants grow best when their roots are sitting in a nutrient rich fog"
 

gmanwho

Well-known member
Veteran
i read some interesting research papers on pulsed irrigation and the general consensus is that the plant responded to frequent, small irrigation events better than one or a few larger volume events. even if the same total amount was delivered in a 24 hour period.

there is an "ideal" band of moisture for the highest growth rate. and the more time the plant spends in that band the more growth you will have.

in a scenario where the plant is being watered once per day, the medium, while getting enough total moisture for the plant to survive, will still be outside of that "ideal" band most of the time.

also, the moisture in a container is graded rapidly by gravity into a retention curve with the least moisture at the top and the most at the bottom. from there it will dry down evenly but still graded so that it will be too dry at the top most of the time in a 24 hour period.

by frequent pulsing you are keeping the entire medium more evenly wet.

the ideal situation is where the particles of the medium are holding maximum water but there is also maximum air filled porosity.

i think it was lucas who said something like "plants grow best when their roots are sitting in a nutrient rich fog"


realizing this very much after our pm's back an forth. last few months have produced healthier more bountiful plants. at clean outs, the roots dont lie..


got a tupur room going, an just starting a 1/2 tupur 1/2 growstone room too. updates later when things get further along,

bsafe
bsafe
 

C.O.B.

Member
what i was trying to say and didn't do a very good job of it is, the soaker hose won't/doesn't produce the 'flood/pulse' quickly enough. A soaker hoses oozes water slowly and does not dump it and the plunger affect sucking O2 down with the receding water doesn't happen much. am I on a different track than you are bro?


Gotcha Snook. Makes complete sense now. Peace.

C.O.B.
 

C.O.B.

Member
D9 started using it. Says it was golden right out of the bag mixed w/perlite iirc. Says he may switch back to turface due to gnats! I use coco/perlite in smart pots now and was going to do them in the ppk/s until I saw that. Peace.

C.O.B.
 

Mr Blah

Member
Didn't know it was a grow medium, thought it was a made up word of combining Turface and Perlite....Huh, learn something new everyday. :laughing:
 

C.O.B.

Member
Ha! I thought u misspelled "world". Didn't comprehend what you were asking when you asked. Even with my thinking, the word "world" wouldn't have made any sense either... Oh well back to my turface rinse. My addiction to ppk updates is unbecoming. Peace.

C.O.B.
 
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