smallest ebb n flow?

[Guest]

Hey GDW thanks for posting those pics, I almost have my little veg EF setup completed...that is to say the pieces are laying all over :].

I have a tray,pump and one drain fitting installed. Its the biggest EF fitting I think its 1"....are both of your drain holes the same size? Also where did you find a timer that you can use for so many on/offs a day? I saw somewhere someone mentioned HomeDepot but I cant find any with more than 10 or 12 on offs a day.

Thanks

Bignugget

Hey Bignugget, more then happy to help out. I wish i had more pictures, but this was along time ago when I to was starting out in the Hydro field. Doing the same thing your doing now

As for the size of my drain and fill fittings. I think they where the 3/4" ones, so you should be find with the ones you have. I'm pretty sure they where the same size also. Having them the same size. Give you the correct fill height in your tray. Then the overflow fitting takes over and drains. Very simple and nice setup and I love Ebb&Flo.

As for the timer and cycles. You want to head to lowes, home depot or a store of this type. Even wal-mart has these timers. Here's a link to give you a idea of what your looking for. It will cost you about 20 bucks and more then enough on/off cycles. "Up to 14 on, 14 off programs per day or 99 on, 98 off programming per week. " Good luck with the setup and let me know if you need anymore help. Take care and make sure to post some pictures if you don't mind.
Later,
BG


http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100018745

 

[Guest]

Hey thanks for the response GDW, I will for sure post pics as I love building stuff and so of course took my first idea and just kept going now I am up to like revision 12 of this new room :]

Almost setup though I have my clone/mom section finished off the flower room is rocking I just need this EF setup for the veg, I should have most of it set by tommorrow night I need one more trip to the store to try and find this damn timer.

I am still a bit confused as to flood times.....

How many times per 18 hours of veg time would you flood a 36x22 inch tray.....once an hour?.....with one of those timers it would have to be less than one time an hour is this acceptable? In my case the room is 85 degrees since I run co2 will this mean I need more frequent floods?


Thanks again

Bignugget

Glad to help out.

Well, as to the amount of flooding cycle. I would flood every three hours for a total of 15 mins. This is 15 mins when the pump comes on and then shuts off. As for vegging your plants and cycles. I would play around with the times and see what the plants say to you.

Sorry, if i missed this answer. What type of medium are you using? If your using grow rocks. I would start off with flooding every two hours for 15 mins and see how the plants like it. Then go from there. Remember, there are other members following this thread and I'm sure they will help out also. If you have a issue with your plants. It won't take long to fix it.

OH, big something you need to do. Look at those pictures I posted. Did you notice I painted the top tray black! You will need to do something like this. You can buy some black duct tape or paint the "Outside" of the tray. This will help stop fungi, and other nasty stuff that will attack your roots.

Well, if i missed something. Ask again and I'll get back to you. Good luck and nice to see other people that love the DIY systems. Check out this system I designed and built. Nice DIY verticle system.
Take care,
BG

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=38812

 

[HarryNugz]

sorry about the lack of an update. my computer crashed and am now online temporarily. i can't post pics as of yet, but will as soon as i get back in order.

thanks GDW for stepping in! I hate to say i'll do something then not come thru.
hope everyone understands.

 

[Guest]

thanks GDW for stepping in! I hate to say i'll do something then not come thru.
hope everyone understands.

No problem, that's what where here for. Helping each other out and having a good time at it.

Glad to see other members having fun with the DIY projects. God, knows I love them. Take care all and have a super week.
Later,
BG

 

[Guest]

i use those containers to but i drain to waste. i have one 18 gal for the res and a 10 gal for the drain and i keep both with air stones. after the 18 gal empties completely i turn the pump in the 10 gal and drain that into a bucket check the ppm and ph adjust if nessecary and give the used nute another pass

 

[BigBlack81]

I'm still somewhat confused as to where you'd put the fittings in the top tray when using sterilites. Can someone break this down for me better as these tubs are perfect for what I want to do in MicroSOG

 

[HarryNugz]

wow, this is an old thread and didn't know there was still interest in these sterilite micro flo's as i call em. i'm actually growing in mine now to see how the do with longer flowering strains. the tubs like i use have two circular marks evenly spaced on the bottom with a center teet. i first drill a small 1/8th hole in the tub then set it on the resivour lid and drill down thru that to align the two parts. i want to put together a tutorial once i get my camera figured out.

 

[BigBlack81]

wow, this is an old thread and didn't know there was still interest in these sterilite micro flo's as i call em. i'm actually growing in mine now to see how the do with longer flowering strains. the tubs like i use have two circular marks evenly spaced on the bottom with a center teet. i first drill a small 1/8th hole in the tub then set it on the resivour lid and drill down thru that to align the two parts. i want to put together a tutorial once i get my camera figured out.

Please do that. I'd love to see how to build one of these from scratch. This tutorial has got my titties so aroused over this but I need to see the placement of the holes and such laid out and your tuts have been top class.

 

[HarryNugz]

I'll be away and can't get on it for a bit. I want to do a good job on the tutorial and not rush it. Check back in as I'll post a link here to my thread. Will be a few weeks for sure.

 

[BigBlack81]

Solid. I will await. And yes, I'm a male but considering that we're looking at females the likes of which I'd like to love for life in our grow rooms, I can afford to have my man titties get hard at the idea of simple E&F.

One question: if using an E&F system, how would you flush plants if you're running SOG using 20oz bottles? Would it just be easier to have a different system set aside just for finishing clones in their final week of growth, such as a small DWC with just plain water?

 

[MoleMcHenry]

Nothing about using soda bottles as containers for an E/F sog hampers your ability to flush plants. You just start all the clones at the same time and they will need to be flushed at the same time.

If it's perptetual sog you are thinking about, why not make another micro-e/f table that can hold the plants you need to flush?

-Mole

 

[BigBlack81]

Mole: First off, love that user name. Fucking hilarious.

Secondly, perpetual SOG is exactly what I'm looking for and I'm thinking that I'll need to make a bigger SOG for my main grow and a smaller E&F like this one for my flushing plants. It might actually work better to have a completely seperate flushing micro table just for the clones that are being pulled each week. But no one, as far as I can see does this in their perpetuals. Do you know of any one who is doing a perpetual with hydro and how they flush?

Finally, how would White Berry, IYO, do as a possible SOG candidate?

 

[RedXIII]

Would love to see the small E&F setup harry, looks perfect for what I can use in the future to veg clones before they go into the multiflow buckets for flower......

was using a 2x4 tray and 20 gal rez in a hut lol, but that space got taken up as a mother/clone/seedling tent now, this would be perfect to squeeze in there

 

[MoleMcHenry]

BigBlack81 - I think you have a great idea with making a smaller table and res set up just for flushing the clones at the end of their lives. It solves the challenge of how to flush a perpetual e/f sog.

Re. flushing: All you need to flush plants is plain PH'd water (not even molasses). You can use FloraKleen or another flushing liquid, but from what I hear, it's not at all necessary. I say try plain water at first, then try the additives and compare. I think keeping it simple is a good philosophy, and think lots of (most?) additives are unnecessary.

In terms of how to build the flushing e/f setup, you could use a kitty litter pan for a tray and a plastic bucket/tub for a res. You can get the proper table fittings from any hydro shop, and it's easy to assemble. Other people merely use two hoses: 1 for the fill and 1 for the overflow. Last month I did a mini e/f myself with a kitty litter pan as an experiment last and it worked great. Hint: if you use a tray without grooves on the bottom, water will sit in the bottom of the tray even after the drain process ends. You can work around that by installing the e/f fittings on one end of the tray, then tilting the tray a little so gravity pulls the water down more completely. I didn't do that (instead I put mine in the center of the tray) but wish I did.

Re. White Berry: I didn't like the genetics. The smoke tasted bad, didn't get me very high, and even put me in a bad mood sometimes. The only Paradise gear I would try at this point is Sensi Star, but that stuff is SO EXPENSIVE! It'll be a while before I try it...

After much research and experimentation over the last year, my advice is to go with "tried and true" genetics. AK-47, C99, NL, Blueberry, Bubblegum, White Widow, etc. Why? Because these are known producers with good potency, etc. I can't wait to try me some AK!

Good luck on your grow! I wish I'd started with an e/f setup! I wouldn't have wasted so much cash on air pumps and buckets.

Mole

 

[d4twamp]

Nice... I made a system kind of like that too. but I cut holes in the lid to fit the net pots so the roots can dangle freely. I also painted the grow tray and lid w/ black plastic spray paint then painted over the black w/ white. dark on the inside for the roots but reflective on the outside. it's a win , win situation

D

 

[wantaknow]

american hydro babby bloomer its cool

 

[d4twamp]

American hydro what? I built this ebb n flow setup myself...And it was easier to do than some of my kids' homework
EDIT-- I just googled american hydro baby bloomer they want 200 bucks for that little thing, mine is a lot bigger and only cost me less than $30 to make. I've made others too, some w/ 12 plant sites... you can configure the net pots to any amount or size you want... hmmmm which way do I go george
D

this is a pic of the inside -fill on the right and overflow/drain on the left.. the system is kinda dirty took pics after a crop was finished and hadn't cleaned it out well enough

 

[BigBlack81]

BigBlack81 - I think you have a great idea with making a smaller table and res set up just for flushing the clones at the end of their lives. It solves the challenge of how to flush a perpetual e/f sog.

Thank you sirrah, and I think I'll be doing just that. A pair of smaller E&F's for early and late flowering and then one tiny one just for flushing. A lot of pumps and such to buy but considering I can make all the gear myself and a single air pump with a beefy manifold isn't such a hurdle. It allows me the ability to run a staggered feeding program AND flush in the same cab. Just getting everything in there will be a pain...but the results might well be worth it.

Re. flushing: All you need to flush plants is plain PH'd water (not even molasses). You can use FloraKleen or another flushing liquid, but from what I hear, it's not at all necessary. I say try plain water at first, then try the additives and compare. I think keeping it simple is a good philosophy, and think lots of (most?) additives are unnecessary.

In terms of how to build the flushing e/f setup, you could use a kitty litter pan for a tray and a plastic bucket/tub for a res. You can get the proper table fittings from any hydro shop, and it's easy to assemble. Other people merely use two hoses: 1 for the fill and 1 for the overflow. Last month I did a mini e/f myself with a kitty litter pan as an experiment last and it worked great. Hint: if you use a tray without grooves on the bottom, water will sit in the bottom of the tray even after the drain process ends. You can work around that by installing the e/f fittings on one end of the tray, then tilting the tray a little so gravity pulls the water down more completely. I didn't do that (instead I put mine in the center of the tray) but wish I did.

On the flushing, at first I'll be just using plain water but I do want to experiment with late priming with a bit of sugar or molasses late in the flush itself. Perhaps on the 3rd-4th rotation through. As for the tray setup, would a 3-5 degree rise in the tray allow for drainage as in a small NFT setup? I think it's necessary for it to drain completely but a little puddle shouldn't be such a concern for me. In fact, a bit of a safety buffer wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

Re. White Berry: I didn't like the genetics. The smoke tasted bad, didn't get me very high, and even put me in a bad mood sometimes. The only Paradise gear I would try at this point is Sensi Star, but that stuff is SO EXPENSIVE! It'll be a while before I try it...

After much research and experimentation over the last year, my advice is to go with "tried and true" genetics. AK-47, C99, NL, Blueberry, Bubblegum, White Widow, etc. Why? Because these are known producers with good potency, etc. I can't wait to try me some AK!

Good luck on your grow! I wish I'd started with an e/f setup! I wouldn't have wasted so much cash on air pumps and buckets.

Mole

Shame about the White Berry. Paradise's writeup was so positive that I do want to try them but I think I too will be going with a tried and true for my first go round. It'll take a bit longer but I think the results will speak for themselves.

I hope to repay your kind words with a grow thread and some tutorials so we can make this whole thing jump off better sooner for those of us who love the sacred herb. One love. Peace.

 

[HarryNugz]

I'm back and will be getting things ready next week. My containers are actually rubbermaid not sterilite.

 

[d4twamp]

Bigblack81, did you mention using molasses for flushing? it's ok for soil and coco but don't do it in hydro unless you want to see what it'll do to your system...
D