The Official Hempy Bucket Thread

[catman]

You are over watering because you have your hole(s) at 4" from the bottom. I've done 100% hempy buckets in containers of those size and even smaller with good results even with high temps like you. Water once every day or every other. You don't want any water above the hole. After you water, tilt your containers at an angle towards a hole and watch more water poor out to show you how much water it is really holding. Just drill or punch some more holes much lower like around an inch from the bottom.

 

[stihgnobevoli]

how am i overwatering when i've just described how my plants are drying out fast and i had to cover the holes to retain moisture longer cuz i can't be watering plants 2-3 times a DAY. i don't think you read my post sir.

 

[osecretgardeno]

anyone have experience with hempy in small containers like these half gallon juice bottles? i tried with the solo cups seen in the picture but those plants all died, dried out like 1 day, too much work to keep on top of em.

i switched up to these bottles and that was working for a while but they appear to allow so much root mass to grow in such a small space that it also drains water really fast. i got one thats all perlite and another i was experimenting with that has mostly all perlite in the bottom 3-4 inches, an inch or 2 of coco-peat mix, and another inch of perlite on top. this hold moisture longer than straight perlite but even this has some issues.

these are old pics and not really indicative of what it looks like now, but see the droopy leaves with the yellowing and splotches? like theres no nutes right? but i've only been feeding these clones since they rooted. its much better now, they look like the soil mother on the right in the pic. but they have a branch or 2 on each that continuously look underwatered and underfed. imagine these plants as a branch on the one on the right.

i notice the perlite only one dries out from the top fast, almost as if most of the water evaporates before the plant uses it. i think this is creating dry pockets for some of the roots and causing my issues.

anyone else do hempy in small containers?

As dubwise and warped1 mentioned below, I have used small containers before. I have used both solo cups (although only for veg) and Gato-Hempys (all the way through flower which are basically the 24oz gatorades with the top cut off and wrapped with duct tape (to keep out that light). That problem you are describing and showing is sort of like the problem I would have. I think it ended up just being that the plant was root bound and therefore started killing itself off at the bottom. With the small buckets I always had problems with the lower part.

I know osecretgarden uses (or has used) gatorade bottles with some of his grows, maybe he can chime in on this....I use 12oz cups after they've rooted or I start seeds in the 12oz cups as well. They stay in there for a week or two before going on to their final container. I water newly rooted clones and seedlings once a day (very small amount). Once they're established in the mini hempy cup the waterings can become less frequent. hth.

I used to do the same thing - solo cups until I have good roots and then into the final container. Minimize the transplant shock and at the same time the solo cups make it super easy to transplant.

I remember checking out osecretgarden before, but I can't recall what medium he was using. I think if you want to use the smaller containers then maybe coco or vermiculite would help hold the moisture.

I knew he was using perlite and vermiculite, but not what percentages. I went back and looked and at the end he was using between a 60/40 mix and a 70/30 mix..perlite/vermiculite

You nailed it on the head! It came out to 60ish/40ish, probably closer to the 70/30 perlite vermiculite. I am impressed with your research and dedication, kudos to you.

Main problem with the small buckets is that they simply do not have enough room for roots and nutes/water. You will almost ALWAYS run into root bound issues (call it what you will, I know Hempy says you can't get rootbound in hempy buckets but I do believe there are detrimental effects to not having enough room space in your hempy bucket. We are talking about 12-18 ounces of container MAX.). You also always end up having to water them every day. If they are strong and healthy they will pretty much suck down anything you can give them daily, maybe bi-daily in flower.

IMVHO, mini-hempys should only be used for sexing and rooting. It is NOT ideal for the full flower cycle, no matter how much you water or feed or pamper them.

Here are some pics of the smaller buckets; I unfortunately don't have a ton of pics of the buckets, but you can see a bunch of them in veg, some in flower, some solos for new seedlings, etc ... enjoy people, you are all doing great work!

An entire tray of Gato-Hempys (fits perfect)

Some recent flower additions

Here are some deep in flower

This one is in a mini-hempy ... you can see some of the problems with the yellowing leaves:

This is about as big as I'd let them get in solo cups ... probably too big at this point:

Rootball from transfer from mini-hempy:

Later

 

[Warped1]

Well hey there osecretgardeno..thanks lol. I guess I've been a fan of this thread since I found it. Oh and great work btw, I don't think I ever posted in any of your threads.
For us micro growers, what would you say is the smallest container we could get away with using? I have a couple that are right around 1 gallon, and a pretty small cab..27"Hx23wx11d.
Lol... by smallest I mean smallest and having the least problems with roots.

 

[catman]

how am i overwatering when i've just described how my plants are drying out fast and i had to cover the holes to retain moisture longer cuz i can't be watering plants 2-3 times a DAY. i don't think you read my post sir.

By overwatering, you are suffocating the roots from oxygen and then they die. Using 2''x2''x8'' containers in 100F temps, 15% RH, and 100% perlite.. I can water only once a day even during stretch. No issues with 20oz-2L bottles either. Roots fill the entire container and some even climb up and beyond the surface of the medium. I did read your post. You asked if anyone has grown hempy in small containers successfully, but I probably can't since I can't even read.

 

[osecretgardeno]

Well hey there osecretgardeno..thanks lol. I guess I've been a fan of this thread since I found it. Oh and great work btw, I don't think I ever posted in any of your threads.
For us micro growers, what would you say is the smallest container we could get away with using? I have a couple that are right around 1 gallon, and a pretty small cab..27"Hx23wx11d.
Lol... by smallest I mean smallest and having the least problems with roots.

I have definitely grown in 1 gallons without a problem. I have also grown in those Gato-Hempys without a problem. The key is basically taking a rooted clone (in RRs or something) and vegging it for maybe 2 or 3 days (not very long), or even throwing it directly into flower. In those cases I feel my yield may have been hurt but the plant was always very healthy the entire way through. This situation arose when I was sexing new plants and would just let the little ones flower all the way out.

I used to grow in a tiny box as well. Anything is possible if you work hard enough and think everything through.

 

[stihgnobevoli]

By overwatering, you are suffocating the roots from oxygen and then they die. Using 2''x2''x8'' containers in 100F temps, 15% RH, and 100% perlite.. I can water only once a day even during stretch. No issues with 20oz-2L bottles either. Roots fill the entire container and some even climb up and beyond the surface of the medium. I did read your post. You asked if anyone has grown hempy in small containers successfully, but I probably can't since I can't even read.

you still aren't making any sense, you should read secret gardens post above yours he nailed exactly what im experiencing. im not overwatering anything as i keep telling you.

MY POTS ARE DRY IN LESS THAN ONE DAY HOW AM I OVERWATERING IF ALL THE WATER IS BEING USED UP MORE THAN ONCE A DAY?

i was tired of all my pots being dry in less than 12 hours so i covered up the holes that i drilled 4 inches up after i noticed my solo cups with the hole 2 inches up were always pretty much dry the next morning. after i covered up the holes i was able to go about 2 days now between watering. a plant that sucks up all the water it is given in 2 days is not overwatered.

besides this is hempy, how do i even overwater? the roots at the bottom are always going to be sitting in water BY DESIGN, and anything extra added runs out of the hole in the side.


are you trolling me sir?

 

[Warped1]

Thanks secret garden

 

[catman]

MY POTS ARE DRY IN LESS THAN ONE DAY HOW AM I OVERWATERING IF ALL THE WATER IS BEING USED UP MORE THAN ONCE A DAY?

What is using up your water? It sure doesn't look like it is your plants. How exactly do you know they are dry and how are you watering? You're doing something wrong man and I'm trying to help so please lose the attitude.

The containers I spoke about are dry when I water them once a day as well, but they aren't dry enough to cause any harm to the plants. How can I do this, but you can't? Don't reply to me if you don't care as it is ironic you asking if I'm trolling you.

Obviously you can mix in a different medium that holds more water into the perlite to water less. How could this hit your issue on the head when you would be changing the tools you are going with? There is nothing wrong with the tools besides how they are being used.

besides this is hempy, how do i even overwater? the roots at the bottom are always going to be sitting in water BY DESIGN, and anything extra added runs out of the hole in the side.

If the hole is too high and/or too small you can overwater by having too much water where the roots are for too long of time. With hempy buckets, you aren't suppose to allow them to drain as slow as possible because there is water that is above your hole that clings to the perlite. Like I told you before, fill a container and let the run off exit the hole, and then turn the container at an angle towards the hole and watch how much more water comes out. Small plants like you are trying to grow do not like roots being drowned of oxygen in 4+ inches water so they will die or not grow there. You are making less containers available to the roots by having too much water. You still might have roots closer the the top of the soil which might explain why you think they are drying out.

 

[stihgnobevoli]

are you shitting me? look i dunno who's been feeding you your info but overwatering isn't the fact that theres a lot of water in the rootzone, you can grow ANY plant practically by sitting the roots in a tub of water. the problem with overwatering is actually underoxygenation. there isn't enough air in the rootzone and the roots suffocate, no oxygen exchange means no work can go on, like how your car won't work with a banana in the tailpipe.

as i've said thrice now, my plants are using up all the water and drying out, i also have a hot cab, hot compared to you guys anyway with your temps in the 70's outside it gets to 100 all the time and plants still manage to grow, plants manage to grow fine in my hot cab too, i adjust for the hotter temps with more airflow, and making sure my media doesn't dry out too fact from all the air moving around.

it has been easy in the past but with perlite being nothing but air pockets it dries out really fast and i havent figured out a way to cover the tops yet so it dries from the top and the bottom at the same time really fast. i dunno how much water you think is going into these hempys but maybe you should look up displacement. if you fill a glass with rocks and then pour water in it to a certain level it would seem the glass is filled to the brim, remove the rocks and you will see you only have a few drops of water in the glass.

hempy is the same thing, except the rocks are really lights, theyre still rocks and they still take up volume. even in my 1.5 quart bottle pots when i add water from a measured device i only actually add like 6 oz water. so lets see, 6 oz water to plants that are in a hot environment with a lot of air and in full flower and stretchy ass sativas... ill let you do the math.

i hope you understand now how i am absolutely not overwatering anything and why i am wondering if you are fucking with me or actually being for real.

in comparison i have seedlings in solo cups in veg under 100watts of cf, i water them every day and a half with 4oz of water each and they're in cocopeat mix that holds a lot of water vs perlite which holds virtually 0 water.

if you still dont believe me about the water and roots i can take a pciture of a spider plant i think thats what they call em, been sitting on my windowsill over a year it has not been watered from the top the entire time. the roots grew out of the soil container through the drain holes and into another container that it sits in. i pour a little water in there once in a while when i remember. the roots sit in water 24/7/365+ and counting its growing all down the floor and im going to have to take it outside soon. the reason it doesnt die is because the roots get air by sucking it down through the dirt pot as they drink the water and equalize the pressure.

on the same token hempy plants and PPK can't be overwatered because there is always oxygen present, the danger is in the roots drying out.

 

[Hempyfan]

Generically I would say using smaller containers require slightly different process than normal size containers. Perhaps have more run off and water more frequent.

I have no experience with small containers but what I have read on grow logs who use them tend to water several times a day on auto watering kits of some fashion. With small pots I would want to ensure even watering around the top but this is all just my 2 cents and not from direct experience so take it for what it is.

 

[dubwise]

@stihg- do you think that part of the problem could be that the containers are clear? Won't light kill roots? I have a few yellow buckets that seem to get algae in them during a grow...I understand that algae isn't so harmful but I wonder if the amount of light getting in is effecting growth in these containers....
On a side note...we veg (short term) in 12oz cups without problem. We have flowered a few plants in these stadium style cups and have had no problems either...obviously the veg time can't be long. Our vegging plants in these small cups get fed every day (2cu).

 

[Graham Purwatt]

maybe try putting the cups in a container with a few inches of nute solution to keep em wet? i've had a few small 32 oz hempy cups that i stuck in an ebb & flow for a while so i wouldn't have to water them everyday(me being lazy) and they did fine like that. also coco retains moisture a hell of a lot better than perlite if thats an option for you,even if its just a few inches of it on top of your perlite.i'm back on the perlite myself for now but will be going back to coco shortly

 

[dubwise]

Will adding coco do anything besides offering more time in between feedings? At what percentage of coco? Lastly, will the coco give more for the roots to grab on to....allowing for fuller plants? I'm just trying to find the reasoning because if it is a direction I should be going...why wait?

 

[catman]

the problem with overwatering is actually underoxygenation. there isn't enough air in the rootzone and the roots suffocate

No shit? This is what I've been saying. Did you read my posts?

By overwatering, you are suffocating the roots from oxygen and then they die.

...sheesh

as i've said thrice now, my plants are using up all the water and drying out

You are talking about the plants you just posted pictures of, right?

i dunno how much water you think is going into these hempys but maybe you should look up displacement. if you fill a glass with rocks and then pour water in it to a certain level it would seem the glass is filled to the brim, remove the rocks and you will see you only have a few drops of water in the glass.

I don't know how much you water which is why I asked you a simple question. Displacement you say? Wow, never heard of that..

if you still dont believe me about the water and roots i can take a pciture of a spider plant

I'd post pictures of 100% perlite hempy cannabis plants growing perfectly in similar environmental conditions as you and in smaller containers, butt..

on the same token hempy plants and PPK can't be overwatered because there is always oxygen present, the danger is in the roots drying out.

If you don't have your holes or drainage setup correctly (which is what I've been telling you about,) you absolutely can overwater a hempy in the sense that you deprive the plant from oxygen due to excess water.

Perhaps have more run off and water more frequent.

With small pots I would want to ensure even watering around the top but this is all just my 2 cents and not from direct experience so take it for what it is.

Once a day, evenly around the top with plenty of run off works great.

 

[stihgnobevoli]

please by all means show me these pics of your plants.

and you still don't seem to be getting how i can't be overwatering my plants so imma just let that one go.

@dubwise i added the cocopeat mix to give me more time in between waterings, im busy/scatterbrained i can't remember to water every few hours, i need a once a day or less type of situation. wake up, water plants, move on with day.
as for the roots, i use clear containers cuz everyone seems to think light kills roots, and algae is bad. the algae only grows as a thin film on the inside of the bottle and some of the perlite on the surface stains green. aside from that i see no detriment. the only roots exposed to the light are the tips that grow from center out to the edge. same thing in dirt, nothing happens i get air pruned roots from the gap that develops in the bottle between the media and the container. if anything is seems to be helping more roots grow. i add holes to all my containers up the side and slice long slits in the sides, this air pruning shit seems to be the biz.

@graham perwatt i actually have plans for that if my taping up the holes didn't pan out i was gonna just drill another hole at the 2 inch mark then get a bigger tub and sit em in 3 inches of water. like the same principle but with a larger reservoir.

@hempyfan it would seem that watering close to the stem might help some more than evenly watering the top. when you evenly water the top gets evenly wet, the only problem with this is that roots seek moisture, so if theres moisture above the rootball some roots will grow upwards to the surface. with the hempy drying out so fast i think it leads to the problems i am experiencing where the roots on top closest to the surface dry out much faster than the ones close to the bottom. unless you stay on top of watering manually or drip i think the only way to avoid it would be to try and make sure the top layer doesnt get or stay moist by directing the water down the middle and to the bottom layers. but then again capillary action will eventually get all the perlite damp in the least.

experiment for next time i guess...

 

[Graham Purwatt]

i actually have plans for that if my taping up the holes didn't pan out i was gonna just drill another hole at the 2 inch mark then get a bigger tub and sit em in 3 inches of water. like the same principle but with a larger reservoir....

it'll work bro,i've done it. as far as adding coco to the top,i can't imagine it would have any benefit other than to hold moisture longer.when i run full on coco hempys i use sunleaves gro rocks in the bottoms up to the holes then coco for the rest of the bucket.that shit holds alot of nute solution. i use 2 bricks of fine ground to 1 big block of piece coir as a mix for my hempys and the pieces of coco you can squeeze them and nute solution runs out,its suprising how much it holds really

 

[Lowman]

If you really think growing your plants in a clear container is not a detriment to their growth....you are sadly mistaken.

First thing you should do is transplant into proper light proof containers. Then if the issues remain....resolve from there.

 

[stihgnobevoli]

thanks for your concern sir, but this is like my 6th grow with clear containers now... they are not a detriment. i can understand how years of old wives tales would have you think that, but no, i have had no issues with the clearness of my containers. if im not mistaken there aren't even any photo receptive cells in the roots.

 

[one Q]

I have also done hempys of 100% perlite in clear containers and have had nothing but great success.