IDIOT's GUIDE TO PPK

[zfyq]

Thanks for that link, farmari. Now I know someone else has done it I'm more keen on taking hte plunge

Do the wick pipes have to be a specific length relative to diameter or size of the container? I bought 2" PVC instead of the 1.5" standpipes cuz each standpipe was like $4 each vs. $6 for 10' of pvc and 80c for couplings. I figured 2" would probably work a treat.

 

[johnnyrotten]

zfyq, the comments comparing ebbflow to ppks are appreciated. Check this thread out for a plants over res type setup: https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?threadid=248868

I like Doc Crows setup...I'm getting ready to build something similar using an armoire...

 

[zfyq]

Started with 2 plants in my PPK, a dutch passion blueberry which stretches like the dickens when its growing right, and a super lemon haze which should branch out and bud quite nicely. I kinda butchered the transplants, but they should bounce back.
I don't have proper tubing to setup pulse feeding yet, but it should take about a minute to fill and flood the buckets. The buckets are a 2.5 gallon 10"wide bucket, and a 1 gallon skinny bucket, both have holes in the bottom of htem, because the pvc pipe comes up ~2" inside the buckets and I was worried about the SWT there completely negating the effectiveness of the system. The wick tubes should still wick with additional drainage holes in the bottom of them, right?
Each bucket with a 10" length of 2" PVC in the center. with a 6" air gap for now, while I get an idea of how much water the buckets hold.

Along side the PPK are a few 1gal buckets of varying strains, which should give a good comparison between my usual hempy buckets and the new ppk.

All under an aircooled 400w CMH on 12/5/2/5 light schedule for a week until they rebound from their transplants or start growing wild, then to 12/12. In a 2'x4'x5' tent.

Blah blah blah, if you read all that you get a nice potent cookie

 

[zfyq]

My 1gal bucket doesnt seem to be wicking enough, the 2.5 might be wicking, but it might justb e holding moisture for longer. Was I supposed to pack coco tightly into the tailpipe? Because I didnt pack it much.
Maybe I should lower the airgap? its only ~3" now.

 

[frankenstein2]

I'm gonna be making a ppk within the next few days.I'm thinking of putting air stones in the bottom bucket via a small hole drilled in the bucket, thoughts?.....comments?.......

 

[DaveTheNewbie]

I'm gonna be making a ppk within the next few days.I'm thinking of putting air stones in the bottom bucket via a small hole drilled in the bucket, thoughts?.....comments?.......

if i remember rightly it was heathie that said that airstones were bad.
1) they introduce airbourne pathogens into the water
2) they increase water temps hugely

 

[frankenstein2]

if i remember rightly it was heathie that said that airstones were bad.
1) they introduce airbourne pathogens into the water
2) they increase water temps hugely

Thanks Dave. Your answers make lots of sense. Although it's hard for me to understand how #2 works. I currently have a 35 gallon trash can i use as a res. I have three airstones and an air curtain in the water. The room the res is in stays at about 70, the water is always at least 5 degrees cooler(if not more). I have the res sitting up off the floor as well. The water never reaches room temp,ever. Also back in my days of ebb and flow, i always had 2-3 air stones, and i never had a problem with warm water. Even if so i could always put the res/ppk directly on the floor to negate the effects of the warm air coming from the stones. I just had a stoner diy thought while typing, wrap the air pump in a hepa filter-no more airbourne pathogens. I don't wanna make a scene, it's just hard for me to understand how oxygenating the res water will be bad for the plant

 

[zfyq]

think theres enough air exchange in the lower bucket that adding in extra air is kind of redundant. But if using organics, keeping he res/maybe pump bucket aerated is kind of a must.

 

[forkup]

zfyq if the drain pipe comes up 2" into the top bucket I have to wonder if you actually moved the PWT out of the rootzone. If the PWT is still in the top bucket then they will not properly drain. 3" seems to be a good starting point for the air gap.

 

[zfyq]

Welp :v
I'm not sure. There are holes in the bottom around the wick pipe to make suren o water stands in the pot. but maybe thats causing the wick not to work. Ill get some photos at some point soon.

Maybe I didn't have a complete grasp on the concept or specifics. Do the buckets and feed res have to have onl hte wick between them and mostly air tight? Or is it fine if hte pipes are just sticking down into some water and not totally sealed up?

Ah well time will tell.

 

[johnnyrotten]

It is fine if it's not totally sealed...

 

[forkup]

I can't remember the scientific terms like D9 can but if the holes are too small it won't drain completely. I can't remember if it's like hydraulic lock, cohesion or capillary action but whatever it's mentioned in another ppk thread and since the search feature is shit on this site I won't take time to look it up.

I think any time with a new pot design, a new drain method or even a new medium drainage should be checked. You should check how quickly it drains and how much water it retains compared to full saturation. If you stay within the limits D9 suggests you should be fine.

Good luck with your op.

 

[zfyq]

Cool, thanks guys, I've relaxed a bit more about it now.
The plants all look a little sad, but are still growing, just stress for the move ,transplants and being on 24hr time until I get another timer, is why they look sad.

I felt down a little in the medium and it seems moist, so perhaps ist not quite just right but not too bad either.

 

[ImaginaryFriend]

zfyq,

forkup pretty much listed everything when he said 'hydraulic lock, cohesion or capillary action.'

The wick serves two purposes... it is a two way street.

When the pulse fires, there is a tendency in all media to collect a Perched Water Table, wherein the adhesive qualities of the solution grip stronger to the media (and the cohesive qualities of the solution hold stronger to itself) than the force of gravity pulling them down.

But those qualities are independent of gravity... that is they pull up/down/side to side. When you install a media wick, the PWT remains the same, but moves downward into the wick... because those forces equalize such and such a height above the lower reservoirs water level (they're all connected to that too, and the lower res is 'pulling down' through cohesion too).

It also works the other way, allowing solution to climb up the wick from the lower reservoir.

But it is not so simple as following a specific rule--the fact that you didn't pack your media in the tailpiece tightly will effect the way it performs. Without knowing the media and the density of the pack, I really can't speculate. I know coco packed tightly holds the PWT and actually creates an environment that the roots do not enjoy.

Additionally, your specific media will have a different relationship with your specific nute solution (recall, all of these things have 'chemical properities' that interact with each other, and a plant that is doing stuff too) as it relates to the exact character of your PWT, etc.

Good luck.

 

[zfyq]

Any of my worrying was apparently for naught, as the girls are thriving now. They seem to be maintaining/wicking moisture,but somewhat deep in the buckets. The manual feedings are surely appreciated, too. Its been about a month, and I've added 10 gallons or so of water to the 20ish gallon res.

Sure enough, this is the most boring way to grow

 

[forkup]

Pix or it didn't happen...

 

[farmari]

Does anyone know if 100% perlite does well in a PPK? A saturation pulse I assume would be impossible because perlite floats but if using a wave pulse or drip feed would it work well?

I'm having a devil of a time trying to find discussion on it as the search feature doesn't allow the term 'perlite' as it's "too common" of a word. Google search has its own limitations too.

 

[DaveTheNewbie]

i cant state categorically that D9 said not to use it because it floats.
thats all i can remember, and there is a technically mathematical possibility that he might be wrong about something, but i wouldnt bet on it.

 

[forkup]

I think I would use floor dri before perlite and it should be available about anywhere.

 

[Sqydro]

PPK noobs read from start to finish!!!

this thread answered alot of my questions