DIY Top Drip Coco Pots

evu80 · Feb 14, 2012

oh one more thing about the lack of flow at the end of those two pots. I recall someone telling me its better to have a main line without any openings feed the other lines and its preferable to have those lines a size smaller. That way it has some pressure to build up before any water is let out of the openings and as a result more of a even watering.

hiboy · Feb 14, 2012

I do see why u made tables.. to custom fit your area... kewl to look at.
For even water flow what we did was have the pvc loop together in a circle,well not a cirlce but like 8 feet long and a foot wide , so there is no dead end so to speak..... and then feed it in the middle so the water flows out evenly aroud ya follow me?
We have constant pressure at all outputs.
But if ya don wanna rebuild it that way you could simply install a 2nd pump, and have both pumps turn on the same time, and feed it from the ends. Probably would work and the other positive thing about that is if one pump fails you would have the other pump to do something...
h

evu80 · Feb 15, 2012

Hiboy,

could you draw us a diagram so we can follow?

TrichromeFan · Feb 15, 2012

Here's some help

OK man. You say you want to fix the water leakage that wants to curl under the table instead of going into the gutter? I've been making these tables for years. You can just make a splash guard from the table edge that extends down into the gutter. I usually use thin plastic like ABS ripped into strips of say 2-3". I screw them to the edge of the table after the gutters are installed. I also agree with making the drip rings out of T's. For cheap home made it seems to work the best. For your drip manifold, just split it in two, and use two pumps. I run a pump per light. Now I can run one nutrient tank or up to four, in case I have plants with different needs I can feed them differently, or doing a nutrient head to head test grow. Oh, and I also agree with the drip to waste. If you are concerned with nute costs, maybe try a powdered nute like the Jack's Hydroponic. Anyhow, I hope that this helps you a bit. Check out my threads if you want to compare table and gutter design. Best of success with the Northern Lights. That should be a nice one. I grew the old Sensi Seeds NL#5 back in the day, and I remember it being pretty easy to grow. Tasty stuff.

-TF

evu80 · Feb 15, 2012

thanks trichrome

i'll check out your tables for fixes

TrichromeFan · Feb 15, 2012

Had to dig a little to get a decent pic. You can see the black plastic strip from this angle on the left side.

-TF

roxy002 · Feb 16, 2012

Dammanfu said:
Hello Roxy I don't know if anyone has said this yet but I'm thinking you need more pitch on your tables . It looks like you only have about 1/4 inch/6mm difference in hight from back to front , if you go to 19 or 20 mm i think that would give you the pitch you need to stop water from running back to your wood

Hi Dammanfu, thanks for input. Originally the difference was only very small, like you say, around 6mm, and it wasn't enough. You might not be able to tell by the pics but I have recently altered the pitch. I think its about 1 1/2" now and its fixed the problem. I don't know what I was thinking of to be honest when I built it with a 6mm difference :thinking

roxy002 · Feb 16, 2012

dankworth said:
Drill tiny holes at bottom of channels of roofing material. Tie short lengths of that green twist tie stuff. It will guide the water into the gutter. It works for ACs also.

Thanks for advice.

roxy002 · Feb 16, 2012

evu80 said:
roxy,

i was thinking about apply silicone across the bottom of the corrugated plastic but havent had the time yet. How did that sanding process work out for you? I only have this issue at a couple of points on the table. I tried increasing the slope of the other end of the table but I think the main problem is the salt build up. Once the channels are build up with salts, it will decrease the rate of flow of the water which leads to it trickling backwards instead flowing into the gutter.

It helped a little bit, but a few days later it went back to running underneath again. I haven't had time yet to try the silicone underneath, but what I did do, was silicone the edge of the sterling board and the guttering at the areas I have the problem. This is just a short term fix until, but it seems to work.

roxy002 · Feb 16, 2012

evu80 said:
roxy,

i was thinking about apply silicone across the bottom of the corrugated plastic but havent had the time yet. How did that sanding process work out for you? I only have this issue at a couple of points on the table. I tried increasing the slope of the other end of the table but I think the main problem is the salt build up. Once the channels are build up with salts, it will decrease the rate of flow of the water which leads to it trickling backwards instead flowing into the gutter.

A couple of other members have now shared some ideas on this now anyway.

roxy002 · Feb 16, 2012

hiboy said:
Im all about building stuff,, being an electrical contractor so i'ld like to compliment you on your time and efforts. Looks sweeto. I do have an easier way for a table set up. Buy a table, 4x8 or 3x6, and bingo ur done. Also, for a simple drip system, i ran 3/4 pvc and popped in the same groumets that u did that require 1/4" drip line. But what i did instead of drilling holes in a ring is purchase a stake that is meant to have the drip line plug into the top of it, then it shoots straight down and fills my RW cubes. I do suggest using two of these stakes for coco, for even watering, but for RW one does it. Very simple and factory made. I can get some pics if ya like. Only bummer is im drain to rez, which i think i will be changing since i have read in your thread that i can improve quality and quantity by dtw.
h

Thanks Hiboy. The main reason for building the tables, was to utilize all the space I have to grow in, so nothing is wasted. Also, the height is perfect for inspecting the plants and maintaining everything. There's also plenty of room underneath for storage too. When you say you can buy a table, what sort of tables are they and what are they made from?

I'm playing with the idea of scrapping the drip rings, unless I can perfect them. I've noticed that because they aren't very rigid, as the plants have been getting bigger and filling out, the rings have started to tilt - resulting in the nutes not dripping evenly but instead dripping to one end of the ring. Also, slightly larger tubing might be a good idea as opposed to 6mm. I would prefer the rings to be solid, but the way I've designed them, theres too much movement there. Like I say, If I can't correct this then I'm gonna consider 2 steaks per pot. The reason I didn't use steaks is because I wanted an even distribution of nutes to saturate all of the coco. But if 2 steaks does the job then why not. If ya can post a pic of these steaks then that would be great.

Regarding DTW, it seems that everyone is of the same opinion that, this is the way forward with coco. I started of with drain to res, but the EC was never right.

roxy002 · Feb 16, 2012

evu80 said:
oh one more thing about the lack of flow at the end of those two pots. I recall someone telling me its better to have a main line without any openings feed the other lines and its preferable to have those lines a size smaller. That way it has some pressure to build up before any water is let out of the openings and as a result more of a even watering.

Sorry, but can you explain what you mean? Or even a diagram? Thanks.

roxy002 · Feb 16, 2012

hiboy said:
I do see why u made tables.. to custom fit your area... kewl to look at.
For even water flow what we did was have the pvc loop together in a circle,well not a cirlce but like 8 feet long and a foot wide , so there is no dead end so to speak..... and then feed it in the middle so the water flows out evenly aroud ya follow me?
We have constant pressure at all outputs.
But if ya don wanna rebuild it that way you could simply install a 2nd pump, and have both pumps turn on the same time, and feed it from the ends. Probably would work and the other positive thing about that is if one pump fails you would have the other pump to do something...
h

I've seen other designs on the forum, where a loop has been used instead of 2 stop ends like I have used. I thought that the pump would be powerful enough to use on this system, but obviously not. I like the idea of a second pump! I suppose, they would have to be 2 pumps exactly the same though. Thanks for the advice, once I've harvest I'll put one those thoughts into practice, and keep the thread updated.

roxy002 · Feb 18, 2012

1 week into switch.

jonnyshope · Feb 18, 2012

looking good there bro..
that room is gonna be full with big buds in no time.
coco does seem to love this type setup and your plants are sailing along lovley.
tuned in for the flower show.
cheers

biggs · Feb 19, 2012

everythings looking super healthy bro, should be a jungle in there in no time at all.

roxy002 · Feb 21, 2012

10 days from switch. Had to lift the lights, as they are really starting to gain some height now, and fill out a lot. I've started to add 0.5ml of Rhizotonic per litre of nutrient. Does anyone recommend any other nutes to add at this point, or maybe when they are in full flower?

They are starting to take on a really nice sweet smell now, but not too over powering.

roxy002 · Feb 21, 2012

jonnyshope said:
looking good there bro..
that room is gonna be full with big buds in no time.
coco does seem to love this type setup and your plants are sailing along lovley.
tuned in for the flower show.
cheers

Thanks JS. I wouldn't grow in any other medium after using Canna Coco. I think it holds just the right amount of water for weed to grow in. I've heard many growers say that its very difficult, if not impossible to over water in coco, and the plants seem to take everything you give them.

I'll keep the thread updated to the very end ;)

roxy002 · Feb 22, 2012

Few pics with lights off:

SAMCRO · Feb 22, 2012

I don't know but from my vanish point I don't think the light spread is enough. Its like you need to turn your wings the other way and or go larger type adjust a wings or add more lights. But maybe its from your photos. Your plants look great.

DIY Top Drip Coco Pots

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