Bottom feeding

[twisted metal]

So guys iv been thinking since coco can become a hassle at times with having to hand water everyday has anyone here ever bottom feed there's? I thought about maybe putting the pots in trays mixing nutes and pouring the mixture in the tray. When you need to flush just maybe pour over the top. It's just gets to be a PITA to hand water 20+plants.

Im not leaning towards a drip system just want to make it a little easier. I designed a wood table on wheels that will fit a 4x6 tray so when i need to water i can just slide the table away and water at will, rather than having to pull each plant one by one. So i got one thing to make life easier now the watering. Lets hear some ideas guys cause i love coco but dam do they drink a lot.

 

[Zoolander]

It will work fine just watch for salts to build up

 

[Kosmo]

ran the Grapefruit kush last run, using earthboxes filled with Bcuzz Coco coir, & canna coco B+A nutes. With the earthbox just add your nutes w/ water, n drain it down the pvc tube. Leading down to a "bottom rez" where the plants roots combined with cocos wicking, plants are fed.
http://i225.invalid.com/albums/dd216/Kosmo_08/IMG_0303.jpg
Heres a cheap DIY earthbox:

 

[Solidopc]

I sort of do this. I will water from the top first though until i get some runoff. Chuck the runoff. Then i'll fill up the plastic dish the pot sits in with the feed water and let it suck it up. I don't want the plant sucking up the runoff, so i do it this way. As the plant allways seems to be able to suck up alot more water even after topwatering until runoff. I sometimes fill the dish up twice if the plant wants it.

I also give a plain water feeding every 3-4th watering, but this time will just water it all from the top and chuck the runoff.

I've seen the autopots that use bottom feeding from a res and can be used with coco to great effect apprently.

 

[Magic beans]

ran the Grapefruit kush last run, using earthboxes filled with Bcuzz Coco coir, & canna coco B+A nutes. With the earthbox just add your nutes w/ water, n drain it down the pvc tube. Leading down to a "bottom rez" where the plants roots combined with cocos wicking, plants are fed.
http://i225.invalid.com/albums/dd216/Kosmo_08/IMG_0303.jpg
Heres a cheap DIY earthbox:

I am currently bottom feeding as I recently transplanted my rooted clones into plastic bear cups with drainage holes, coco in 10x20 prop trays. so far so good. I have been wandering about using earth boxes for moms as you could keep 3-4 of the same strain in each earth box and tailor your nutes to each particular strain.

 

[Danknuggler]

I sort of do this. I will water from the top first though until i get some runoff. Chuck the runoff. Then i'll fill up the plastic dish the pot sits in with the feed water and let it suck it up. I don't want the plant sucking up the runoff, so i do it this way. As the plant allways seems to be able to suck up alot more water even after topwatering until runoff. I sometimes fill the dish up twice if the plant wants it.

I also give a plain water feeding every 3-4th watering, but this time will just water it all from the top and chuck the runoff.

I've seen the autopots that use bottom feeding from a res and can be used with coco to great effect apprently.

I use to do the exact same thing.now I got a auto drain control do no more of that.it was crazy work for a while.

 

[sativablast]

yep ive been throwing water in the tray and they suk it up no probs with about 60/40 coco to perlite, normally i wudnt but i got those fking gnats flies in me coco so i switched to dry it out at the top been working good.

:pimp:

 

[BamBamEh]

that sounds like a great idea sblast... how much water you putting in the tray and how fast are your plants suckin it up?

 

[sativablast]

ahhh were drinking about 2 ltres a day in flower. Just put water in the tray and see how fast it disapears then add more, i was feeding 2 times a day but in veg when there small yu dont need as much but yull see if the water stay in the tray they are full. in veg i feed less maybe every 2nd day but i spray the leaves with a seaweed product mixed with water, superthrive and light nutes.

p.s 2 be safe tho yu can give plain water every 3rd feed to flush also.

 

[onlytoken]

Our good friend DJ Short is a fan of bottom feeding =)

 

[mikegreenthumb]

currently growing in earth boxs you can check the thread if you wanna see the progress but heres a quick flick

 

[mikegreenthumb]

So guys iv been thinking since coco can become a hassle at times with having to hand water everyday has anyone here ever bottom feed there's? I thought about maybe putting the pots in trays mixing nutes and pouring the mixture in the tray. When you need to flush just maybe pour over the top. It's just gets to be a PITA to hand water 20+plants.

Im not leaning towards a drip system just want to make it a little easier. I designed a wood table on wheels that will fit a 4x6 tray so when i need to water i can just slide the table away and water at will, rather than having to pull each plant one by one. So i got one thing to make life easier now the watering. Lets hear some ideas guys cause i love coco but dam do they drink a lot.

get a sub pump and watering wand

 

[purpleberry]

I picked up some green trays that are flat on bottom with no grooves, This way the pot sits flat and the soil can suck up all the water. Ive been watering every 3rd day til i get enough run off to have about 1" of water, thats gone the next day, works out nice. Not ideal to flush salts, but works for now til i can set a drain to waste tray and drip or something. The extra water keeps me from having to water every other day.

 

[mikegreenthumb]

I picked up some green trays that are flat on bottom with no grooves, This way the pot sits flat and the soil can suck up all the water. Ive been watering every 3rd day til i get enough run off to have about 1" of water, thats gone the next day, works out nice. Not ideal to flush salts, but works for now til i can set a drain to waste tray and drip or something. The extra water keeps me from having to water every other day.

your gonna have to water your plants fairly frequently no matter what you do unless you go self watering or hydro bottom line you need to water your plants if your trying avoid watering every other day do one of the two above get bigger containers or dont grow cannabis its a plant that needs alot of water period the average indoor garden is gonna go throu 5 gallons of water a week i go throu prob double that

 

[mikegreenthumb]

i keep 10 gallons of water in two buckets with airstone in each one and somedays almost go throu both buckets in a single watering between the flowering and veg room thats why i got the sub pump and wand i just drop it in the bucket and im ready to go takes maybe 10 min max on the heavy watering days thats both buckets and both rooms in less than 10 min thats up to 50 solo cups 9 mothers three earth boxs with 8 plants in each one and a clone dome cause the wand has a mister so just hit the clones with some water when its already out that would normally be a bitch to water all that espcially when things get cramped in the veg room

 

[Bobbo]

Should I be using water from a water softener faucet? Should I feed from the top or bottom?

 

[purpleberry]

Mike I know how much water plants take, I go threw almost 100 gallons a week sometimes. LOL I just switched to hempy buckets with perilite in the res, and 100% coco hoping that will make it everey 3rd day. Its just going to depend on how big they get.
I have a few ideas about how water them, Im thinking about connecting them all like a flood and drain system to one bucke and just fill that bucket up til they all get 6 inchs of water, let it soak in for a few, then suck whats left up with a pump out of the bucket, leaving all the resivors with there 2 inchs of water. Maybe top feed every few times if its needed. Or run the same set with drip line, and water from the top til i see the empty bucket start filling up, andf again suck up any excess water. Auto-hempys.

 

[goldust]

bottom feeder