Water Farms and root balls. - Indoor Grows - Hydro - International Cannagraphic Magazine Forums

Captain Canibus · 02-10-2004, 05:58 PM

Its again time for ole Captain Canibus's weekly lesson. Hopefully, I'll eventually run out of stoopid questions soon. Krusty's method is going to get my attention.

The problem. I had to whack 2 males last nite (in water farms).
Each had a massive root ball in the clay pellets. Plez don't spank me for that, I didn't know. MAYBE at MOST 1% of the roots grew
through the top container into the resevoir.

Part of the problem is the small holes in the top container. The second is the medium, the round pellets block the holes.

Solution? LAVA rocks and larger holes (3/16"). Anyone have this problem? Are the LAVA rocks the same used in gas grills?

I'll go through Krusty's (and HGC) posts this weekend.

Thanx in advance.

DoctorDro · 02-12-2004, 03:10 AM

Sorry, I haven't had that happen to me yet, but thanks for the heads up. I will be paying more attention to that now.

BTW, please post an update if you ever decide to go with the lava rocks and bigger holes. I run power growers and would not mind changing mediums if it worked out for the better. I just wonder if the ph would hold stable as it does with the Grorox?

Captain Canibus · 02-12-2004, 05:13 AM

DoctorDro-

This is my first hydo attempt. I vegged for 2 months, yeilding 2 monstorous males (C99 & MF), short, tight bushes. Damn! The girls were topped & when I would bend the branches to check for pollen sacks, the branches would snap off where they were topped. Very little pressure was applied. Also the drip ring would clog and branches would wilt and/or die.

It is a learning experience. I'll flower these out and start over, hopefully with better results. All I want is a personal stash of some killer weed.

DoctorDro · 02-12-2004, 11:43 PM

I also have had problems with the drip ring clogging every once in a while. I now take the drip ring off once a week and wash it under hot water to break up the salt build-up. So far everything seems to be flowing smoothly.

Weak branches could mean a number a things. How are the temps in your res.? Could be rot. What ph are you currently running? A whack ph could make plants weak. Do you have a fan blowing the air around? A fan will definitely help strengthen the plants.

Just some things to think about

HyGradeChronic · 02-14-2004, 08:14 PM

..... hey CC top of the day to ya, and rest you fine peeps!!!!!:p
..... to answer your ????? about lava rock. yes, it is same as used in bbq's, BUT, that'd be a very expensive way to purchase it/them. krusty posted in the bucket thread i think, that most landscaping outlets have or have access to lava rock. it truely is a unique medium. some/most has lil craters like on the moon. this gives spaces for air to lay in w/roots. AND, ....., it has EXCELLENT gripping qualities, especially when you compare it to those clay coated grow pellets that your "friendly" hydro store has to sell ya. ya gotta be resourceful in this "hobby". sure, ya gotta support the hydro stores to a point, but when it comes to how far your $$$$$'s will stretch, ya gotta take the bull by the horns and get bizy finding stuff cheaper and that werks waaaay mo betta than what the hydro stores provide for ya. make any sense?????

ALSO, lava rox are 1/10th the cost of clay balls, and cheaper than that in bulk. get blk ones only, colored lava has been dyed and the dye leaches...
..... also, the lava rocks are different sizes and shapes copared w/same same round lil clay balls. that helps roots root. oi vey!!!!!
... they would work fine in your water farms imo.
..... as far as your hole size in water farm upper bucket/container, the diff shapes and sizes of lava shouldn't clog up your holes, but yea, i'd tap em out a touch, 3/16-3/8 holes should do the trick.
..... hope that helps ya.

..... peace
..... HGC

DoctorDro · 02-14-2004, 10:01 PM

Hi HGC,

Thanks for the advice...I'll be looking into lava rocks my next run. Maybe do a side-by-side comparison w/ the clay pellets.

Not to mention lava rocks are cheaper!....can't go wrong with that

OG otis · 02-18-2004, 06:57 PM

i also used waterfarms for years and the few problems i had were normally due to salt clog in the air tube....its something you really have to keep your eye on.

CLR is a good thing to soak it in....just rinse it well

also.....temps are a issue in the waterfarm res. and i dont know if you are running a controler bucket or not.

getting the water to stay chilled is hard since all the waterfarms are pretty much a individual set-up even with the controler bucket that is only just a toilet valve in a bucket.

i also had problems with rot once in a while due to the ring system of watering.

DWC seems like a better way to go or a hybred version of it as the KFB.

a have 9 waterfarms now in a spare closet and i switched to soil a couple grows back with much success.

the holes on the bottom of the first container i always drilled out to make um larger to allow better root growth.....and the hydrorock that is round and smooth sucks....i liked the dutch hydrocorn type rock since it was craggy and uneven in shape ...makes for a better growing medium, but they stopped selling it in all the places i go to.....lava rock from the landscapers is fine.....just rinse the shit out of it..

a indivdual waterfarm i might use for a motherplant, but i am not very happy with the general design and the bitch of trying to change out the nutes when they are hooked up to the controller bucket..

Che Bleu · 03-09-2004, 08:17 PM

That problem only occurs with long vegged plants and the solution is simple...
Just multiply the holes X2 or even x3...
I was told this when buying my first aquafarm and can assure you I never had a root rot problem using these units...
I remember an Ak 47 that was first vegged 1 month, then flowered, regenerated and re vegged for ++1 month and flowered again withouit any root problem...
I pretty much like these systems, got 2 of them,
easy to use, quite quick performing, not as quick as NFT but much more tolerent when heat is a concern (remember last summer ?) and if you wanna grow big bushy plants, they're perfect

Captain Canibus · 03-09-2004, 08:33 PM

I drilled out the holes larger and added lava rock for the first layer. I've got 3 Mother's Finest clones in in veg now and one big bush at about 3 wks. flower (without the modifications).

It took forever for the roots to make in through the plant container to the bottom of the resevoir. Many of the side shoots would wither and die or easily break off.

Hopefully, the problem is fixed.

I do appreciate the input.

grow ryder · 02-13-2011, 10:58 PM

now then bro, jus gt meself a waterfarm wt kinda yeild u lukin on wana them.

02-10-2004, 05:58 PM	#1
Captain Canibus Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: US-Midwest Posts: 318	Water Farms and root balls. Its again time for ole Captain Canibus's weekly lesson. Hopefully, I'll eventually run out of stoopid questions soon. Krusty's method is going to get my attention. The problem. I had to whack 2 males last nite (in water farms). Each had a massive root ball in the clay pellets. Plez don't spank me for that, I didn't know. MAYBE at MOST 1% of the roots grew through the top container into the resevoir. Part of the problem is the small holes in the top container. The second is the medium, the round pellets block the holes. Solution? LAVA rocks and larger holes (3/16"). Anyone have this problem? Are the LAVA rocks the same used in gas grills? I'll go through Krusty's (and HGC) posts this weekend. Thanx in advance. __________________ The man who says it can't be done shouldn't interfer with the one who is doing it. To be the best YOU can be, You are only competing with yourself.
	Quote

02-12-2004, 03:10 AM	#2
DoctorDro Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Texas for now Posts: 34	Sorry, I haven't had that happen to me yet, but thanks for the heads up. I will be paying more attention to that now. BTW, please post an update if you ever decide to go with the lava rocks and bigger holes. I run power growers and would not mind changing mediums if it worked out for the better. I just wonder if the ph would hold stable as it does with the Grorox? __________________ Damn, I forgot what I was going to write here
	Quote

02-12-2004, 05:13 AM	#3
Captain Canibus Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: US-Midwest Posts: 318	DoctorDro- This is my first hydo attempt. I vegged for 2 months, yeilding 2 monstorous males (C99 & MF), short, tight bushes. Damn! The girls were topped & when I would bend the branches to check for pollen sacks, the branches would snap off where they were topped. Very little pressure was applied. Also the drip ring would clog and branches would wilt and/or die. It is a learning experience. I'll flower these out and start over, hopefully with better results. All I want is a personal stash of some killer weed. __________________ The man who says it can't be done shouldn't interfer with the one who is doing it. To be the best YOU can be, You are only competing with yourself.
	Quote

02-12-2004, 11:43 PM	#4
DoctorDro Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Texas for now Posts: 34	I also have had problems with the drip ring clogging every once in a while. I now take the drip ring off once a week and wash it under hot water to break up the salt build-up. So far everything seems to be flowing smoothly. Weak branches could mean a number a things. How are the temps in your res.? Could be rot. What ph are you currently running? A whack ph could make plants weak. Do you have a fan blowing the air around? A fan will definitely help strengthen the plants. Just some things to think about __________________ Damn, I forgot what I was going to write here
	Quote

02-14-2004, 08:14 PM	#5
HyGradeChronic Freedom Fighter Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: repressed usa Posts: 147	lava rox... ..... hey CC top of the day to ya, and rest you fine peeps!!!!!:p ..... to answer your ????? about lava rock. yes, it is same as used in bbq's, BUT, that'd be a very expensive way to purchase it/them. krusty posted in the bucket thread i think, that most landscaping outlets have or have access to lava rock. it truely is a unique medium. some/most has lil craters like on the moon. this gives spaces for air to lay in w/roots. AND, ....., it has EXCELLENT gripping qualities, especially when you compare it to those clay coated grow pellets that your "friendly" hydro store has to sell ya. ya gotta be resourceful in this "hobby". sure, ya gotta support the hydro stores to a point, but when it comes to how far your $$$$$'s will stretch, ya gotta take the bull by the horns and get bizy finding stuff cheaper and that werks waaaay mo betta than what the hydro stores provide for ya. make any sense????? ALSO, lava rox are 1/10th the cost of clay balls, and cheaper than that in bulk. get blk ones only, colored lava has been dyed and the dye leaches... ..... also, the lava rocks are different sizes and shapes copared w/same same round lil clay balls. that helps roots root. oi vey!!!!! ... they would work fine in your water farms imo. ..... as far as your hole size in water farm upper bucket/container, the diff shapes and sizes of lava shouldn't clog up your holes, but yea, i'd tap em out a touch, 3/16-3/8 holes should do the trick. ..... hope that helps ya. ..... peace ..... HGC __________________ SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]THERE's never enuff tyme to get anything done, but there's ALWAYS tyme to twist up a big ol fattie n FIRE IT UP!!!!!
	Quote

02-14-2004, 10:01 PM	#6
DoctorDro Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Texas for now Posts: 34	Hi HGC, Thanks for the advice...I'll be looking into lava rocks my next run. Maybe do a side-by-side comparison w/ the clay pellets. Not to mention lava rocks are cheaper!....can't go wrong with that __________________ Damn, I forgot what I was going to write here
	Quote

02-18-2004, 06:57 PM	#7
OG otis Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: san francisco Posts: 39	i also used waterfarms for years and the few problems i had were normally due to salt clog in the air tube....its something you really have to keep your eye on. CLR is a good thing to soak it in....just rinse it well also.....temps are a issue in the waterfarm res. and i dont know if you are running a controler bucket or not. getting the water to stay chilled is hard since all the waterfarms are pretty much a individual set-up even with the controler bucket that is only just a toilet valve in a bucket. i also had problems with rot once in a while due to the ring system of watering. DWC seems like a better way to go or a hybred version of it as the KFB. a have 9 waterfarms now in a spare closet and i switched to soil a couple grows back with much success. the holes on the bottom of the first container i always drilled out to make um larger to allow better root growth.....and the hydrorock that is round and smooth sucks....i liked the dutch hydrocorn type rock since it was craggy and uneven in shape ...makes for a better growing medium, but they stopped selling it in all the places i go to.....lava rock from the landscapers is fine.....just rinse the shit out of it.. a indivdual waterfarm i might use for a motherplant, but i am not very happy with the general design and the bitch of trying to change out the nutes when they are hooked up to the controller bucket..
	Quote

03-09-2004, 08:17 PM	#8
Che Bleu Working Class Zero Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Europe Posts: 142	That problem only occurs with long vegged plants and the solution is simple... Just multiply the holes X2 or even x3... I was told this when buying my first aquafarm and can assure you I never had a root rot problem using these units... I remember an Ak 47 that was first vegged 1 month, then flowered, regenerated and re vegged for ++1 month and flowered again withouit any root problem... I pretty much like these systems, got 2 of them, easy to use, quite quick performing, not as quick as NFT but much more tolerent when heat is a concern (remember last summer ?) and if you wanna grow big bushy plants, they're perfect
	Quote

03-09-2004, 08:33 PM	#9
Captain Canibus Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: US-Midwest Posts: 318	I drilled out the holes larger and added lava rock for the first layer. I've got 3 Mother's Finest clones in in veg now and one big bush at about 3 wks. flower (without the modifications). It took forever for the roots to make in through the plant container to the bottom of the resevoir. Many of the side shoots would wither and die or easily break off. Hopefully, the problem is fixed. I do appreciate the input. __________________ The man who says it can't be done shouldn't interfer with the one who is doing it. To be the best YOU can be, You are only competing with yourself.
	Quote

02-13-2011, 10:58 PM	#10
grow ryder New Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 1	now then bro, jus gt meself a waterfarm wt kinda yeild u lukin on wana them.
	Quote