Drip System Question(s)

[My420Seeds]

I have recently set up a small table as Canada will soon allow 4 plants grown at home.

I see people talking here about using large cubes, 3" 4".... which obviously retain a lot of liquid.

I am using a drip tube system but with only 1" rockwool cubes, which is what the clones will arrive in.
The plants will be set into the medium, (marble sized pellets) and i am wondering
how much drip/how many times/for how long every day
to water them without killing them.

20 years ago i used draining buckets with 1 plant ea
but cannot for the life of me remember what i did way back then....

Been told go 24/7 never stop, was told 5mins on 180mins off,
for some reason i'm thinking 30mins every 6 hours.....

Anyone else using this sytem?


TY

 

[KneeDeep34]

This is my area of expertise my friend... I use relatively the same setup. I just don't use drippers and I'll explain later on...
You are on the right track so far from what you have stated. But, after the clones have rooted well, insert the 1" cube into a soaked 3" cube. Only water the 3" cube by hand for the first couple of weeks. Pick it up to see if it's lite or heavy. If it's heavy, let it dry out a bit more... Once the root system is coming out the bottom of the 3" cube you be able to feed with your drip system... Now, I stopped using 1/2 gph drippers for one reason. Build up will clog them up and can cause your babies to suffer. Now, I just let my hoses drain right on the cube itself. Once right when the light comes on and once right before the lights go out. Both in 15min increments. About 2 gph but Every strain is different tho and will show you when it needs more water or less water. Then you can adjust accordingly... But, go to home Depot or some other big hardware store... There stuff is drastically cheaper when it comes to totes for trays and reservoirs, tubing, timers and such. Grow stores usually charge a bit more. If you have any questions on this type of setup, feel free to contact me... Peace.

 

[Thejoeybrown]

This is my area of expertise my friend... I use relatively the same setup. I just don't use drippers and I'll explain later on...
You are on the right track so far from what you have stated. But, after the clones have rooted well, insert the 1" cube into a soaked 3" cube. Only water the 3" cube by hand for the first couple of weeks. Pick it up to see if it's lite or heavy. If it's heavy, let it dry out a bit more... Once the root system is coming out the bottom of the 3" cube you be able to feed with your drip system... Now, I stopped using 1/2 gph drippers for one reason. Build up will clog them up and can cause your babies to suffer. Now, I just let my hoses drain right on the cube itself. Once right when the light comes on and once right before the lights go out. Both in 15min increments. About 2 gph but Every strain is different tho and will show you when it needs more water or less water. Then you can adjust accordingly... But, go to home Depot or some other big hardware store... There stuff is drastically cheaper when it comes to totes for trays and reservoirs, tubing, timers and such. Grow stores usually charge a bit more. If you have any questions on this type of setup, feel free to contact me... Peace.

If you’re running drip I would recommend using coco. Maybe 1 gal pots just drop the rockwool in there. Rockwool is no bueno for drip imo as you need a dry cycle.
The more feeding the better. I run 20 sec on every hour.
Thag is a little drastic but I would say at least 4 times a light cycle.
Cost less than 60$ usd to completely set up.
If you have questions let me know but IMO if you want to do drip it’s the only way to go. More feedings = more O2 which makes it basically a hydro system that has constant oxygenated water.

This pic was week 3-4 flower. 1/2 gal straight Coco. Fed 20 sec every hour. Weekly tea feeds.

 

[My420Seeds]

those are the same beans i'm using.

temp in dome is around 82-84F sigh...
lol, wish roots happened overnight, just wasted 2 weeks.....

 

[My420Seeds]

20 second feed every hour?

guess its experiment until i get max

 

[Thejoeybrown]

20 second feed every hour?

guess its experiment until i get max

Ya. But I would recommend to go 1 gal pots and feed every 4 hours so 3 times per light cycle. Then play with it from there. I do every hour but most do every couple

 

[KneeDeep34]

If you’re running drip I would recommend using coco. Maybe 1 gal pots just drop the rockwool in there. Rockwool is no bueno for drip imo as you need a dry cycle.
The more feeding the better. I run 20 sec on every hour.
Thag is a little drastic but I would say at least 4 times a light cycle.
Cost less than 60$ usd to completely set up.
If you have questions let me know but IMO if you want to do drip it’s the only way to go. More feedings = more O2 which makes it basically a hydro system that has constant oxygenated water.

This pic was week 3-4 flower. 1/2 gal straight Coco. Fed 20 sec every hour. Weekly tea feeds.

No bueno you say? Hmmmmm lol i get great results my friend... there are many different ways and techniques. Don't knock it till you try it.

 

[Thejoeybrown]

No bueno you say? Hmmmmm lol i get great results my friend... there are many different ways and techniques. Don't knock it till you try it.View attachment 760097

Yea I shouldn’t have said no bueno. There is definitely so many right ways to do things and a lot of people use rock wool.
I just personally think they are better in ebb systems flooded like twice a day. I just meant you wouldn’t be able to do many more multiple feedings. I wouldn’t think

How do you do your wet/dry cycles and all that?

 

[KneeDeep34]

Yea I shouldn’t have said no bueno. There is definitely so many right ways to do things and a lot of people use rock wool.
I just personally think they are better in ebb systems flooded like twice a day. I just meant you wouldn’t be able to do many more multiple feedings. I wouldn’t think

How do you do your wet/dry cycles and all that?

Well, you are half right in my opinion... When they are young I only hand feed for the exact reason you mentioned about dry cycles... But when they are older (maybe week 5 or so) they feed like crazy. Plus once the roots start spreading along the bottom of the tray, they don't stay wet all the time... It's not really about how many feedings you do, it's simply about feeding itself. Plants will tell you what you what they want and There is many ways to give it to them... I guess it really comes down to preference. Cause you say no rockwool, lol I say no coco lol not that there is anything wrong with either, it's just about what works best for you.... Personally, I used to use coir to grow shrooms, and I'll tell ya the amount of fungus that can grow in it is unreal lol plus those little gnats have more area to lay eggs. Seems like it attracts more critters.

 

[Thejoeybrown]

Well, you are half right in my opinion... When they are young I only hand feed for the exact reason you mentioned about dry cycles... But when they are older (maybe week 5 or so) they feed like crazy. Plus once the roots start spreading along the bottom of the tray, they don't stay wet all the time... It's not really about how many feedings you do, it's simply about feeding itself. Plants will tell you what you what they want and There is many ways to give it to them... I guess it really comes down to preference. Cause you say no rockwool, lol I say no coco lol not that there is anything wrong with either, it's just about what works best for you.... Personally, I used to use coir to grow shrooms, and I'll tell ya the amount of fungus that can grow in it is unreal lol plus those little gnats have more area to lay eggs. Seems like it attracts more critters.

Ok well ya if the roots are spread about the tray like an f and d then they are no longer in the rockwool so wouldn’t be suffocated by constant water the rockwool..
No it doesn’t come down to more feedings it comes down to more oxygen to the root zone. A plant telling me what it needs as far as nutrients and maximizing the amount of oxygen gets replaced and circulated they the rootzone are 2 completely seperate things. More oxygen allows much more uptake meaning you can get much more out of what you feed. So you won’t need 1200 ppm to satisfy the plant.
As for fungus that “can” grow I disagree. Fungus can grow as easy on rockwool as coco if you expose it to susceptibility conditions. Difference is in Coco you can feed fulvic/kelp/EWC teas along with benificial bacteria to take care of that and maintain a healthy rootzone.
I didn’t say you were wrong. I said for a drip system like the title says, I wouldn’t use rockwool

 

[Thejoeybrown]

Ok well ya if the roots are spread about the tray like an f and d then they are no longer in the rockwool so wouldn’t be suffocated by constant water the rockwool..
No it doesn’t come down to more feedings it comes down to more oxygen to the root zone. A plant telling me what it needs as far as nutrients and maximizing the amount of oxygen gets replaced and circulated they the rootzone are 2 completely seperate things. More oxygen allows much more uptake meaning you can get much more out of what you feed. So you won’t need 1200 ppm to satisfy the plant.
As for fungus that “can” grow I disagree. Fungus can grow as easy on rockwool as coco if you expose it to susceptibility conditions. Difference is in Coco you can feed fulvic/kelp/EWC teas along with benificial bacteria to take care of that and maintain a healthy rootzone.
I didn’t say you were wrong. I said for a drip system like the title says, I wouldn’t use rockwool

Plus spending 5 weeks hand feeding and babying the plants seems counterintuitive to the point of an automated drip system

 

[KneeDeep34]

Think about it. If I hand water for five weeks. That's only about a total of around 8-10 waterings. That's nothing... Also what are you talking about 1200ppm? I never run nutrient solution that high. Only about 800 at the max. You also stated about adding all this extra stuff to make the coir more resistant to the fungus issues I've mentioned. Why? That's just more money you have to spend... Look, I'm sorry I disagree with you but I know what works for me and I was just trying to help this guy out. Not get lectured about what I'm doing is wrong. I get pounds of thick sticky fire doing it this way... I assume your a coco guy and there's nothing wrong with your method. It's just not for me. Just as mine isn't for you... We should just agree to disagree buddy.

 

[Thejoeybrown]

Think about it. If I hand water for five weeks. That's only about a total of around 8-10 waterings. That's nothing... Also what are you talking about 1200ppm? I never run nutrient solution that high. Only about 800 at the max. You also stated about adding all this extra stuff to make the coir more resistant to the fungus issues I've mentioned. Why? That's just more money you have to spend... Look, I'm sorry I disagree with you but I know what works for me and I was just trying to help this guy out. Not get lectured about what I'm doing is wrong. I get pounds of thick sticky fire doing it this way... I assume your a coco guy and there's nothing wrong with your method. It's just not for me. Just as mine isn't for you... We should just agree to disagree buddy.

You’re misunderstanding me so sorry for having dialogue. This thread was about a drip system and was just giving my opinion on it. Nothing was meant to come across negative. Open dialogue is how everyone learns. I never said you aren’t having great success.
I think my “no bueno” in the first post set this in the wrong direction but just convwrsating bouncing ideas brotha.

 

[KneeDeep34]

You’re misunderstanding me so sorry for having dialogue. This thread was about a drip system and was just giving my opinion on it. Nothing was meant to come across negative. Open dialogue is how everyone learns. I never said you aren’t having great success.
I think my “no bueno” in the first post set this in the wrong direction but just convwrsating bouncing ideas brotha.

I should probably apologize as well... I was hangry when I wrote my last post lol

 

[Thejoeybrown]

I should probably apologize as well... I was hangry when I wrote my last post lol

All good bro. Hard to read tone or intent but I was just conversating.
What you growing in that pic btw?

 

[KneeDeep34]

It's a cross I've been working on. It's Platinum girl scout cookie x Skunk #1 x Skunk Berry x Pinetar Kush... That pic I posted was from about 3 weeks ago. I'm actually in the middle of harvest right now... Ive been posting updates https://www.thcfarmer.com/community/threads/introducing-platinum-swan.92585/#post-2037332 was waiting to have all my stuff when it's cut... Looks great tho. Has some tints of purple and super swollen calexes.

 

[Pimples]

Yea I shouldn’t have said no bueno. There is definitely so many right ways to do things and a lot of people use rock wool.
I just personally think they are better in ebb systems flooded like twice a day. I just meant you wouldn’t be able to do many more multiple feedings. I wouldn’t think

How do you do your wet/dry cycles and all that?

Rockwool is definitely more ideal for a drip or top feed system than ebb and flow. Just ask Grodan. The premier rockwool manufacturers in the world. Most American growers use rw in a ebb and flo because they dont know how to use top feed/drip rw correctly. Coco can be much more forgiving in top drip/feed but once you dial rw in..they both are quite similar.

 

[Pimples]

Ok well ya if the roots are spread about the tray like an f and d then they are no longer in the rockwool so wouldn’t be suffocated by constant water the rockwool..
No it doesn’t come down to more feedings it comes down to more oxygen to the root zone. A plant telling me what it needs as far as nutrients and maximizing the amount of oxygen gets replaced and circulated they the rootzone are 2 completely seperate things. More oxygen allows much more uptake meaning you can get much more out of what you feed. So you won’t need 1200 ppm to satisfy the plant.
As for fungus that “can” grow I disagree. Fungus can grow as easy on rockwool as coco if you expose it to susceptibility conditions. Difference is in Coco you can feed fulvic/kelp/EWC teas along with benificial bacteria to take care of that and maintain a healthy rootzone.
I didn’t say you were wrong. I said for a drip system like the title says, I wouldn’t use rockwool

Another thing is slabs. No one in America uses slabs...hardly any growers anyways. And thats what y0u wanna set your block on when drip feeding. Whether its a rockwool slab or a coco slab. Slabs are made and ideal with top feed for a reason. Something the Europeans figured out decades ago. And once you figure out dry down...moisture gradient...and field capacity...you will be amazed. Slabs blow Hugos away in my opinion. And any of it in a top feed/drip setup is better than ebb and flow. Especially drain to waste. The way rockwool was originally intended.

 

[Thejoeybrown]

Rockwool is definitely more ideal for a drip or top feed system than ebb and flow. Just ask Grodan. The premier rockwool manufacturers in the world. Most American growers use rw in a ebb and flo because they dont know how to use top feed/drip rw correctly. Coco can be much more forgiving in top drip/feed but once you dial rw in..they both are quite similar.

Another thing is slabs. No one in America uses slabs...hardly any growers anyways. And thats what y0u wanna set your block on when drip feeding. Whether its a rockwool slab or a coco slab. Slabs are made and ideal with top feed for a reason. Something the Europeans figured out decades ago. And once you figure out dry down...moisture gradient...and field capacity...you will be amazed. Slabs blow Hugos away in my opinion. And any of it in a top feed/drip setup is better than ebb and flow. Especially drain to waste. The way rockwool was originally intended.

Got ya. Ya that makes sense. I don’t know much about rockwool and I can imagine once you learn it can be great in a drip system.
Serious questions because I don’t k ow about rockwool much.
How long is your average wet/dry cycle?
Can you run benificials or do you keep it clean with like pool shock or hydroguard or something?

 

[Pimples]

Got ya. Ya that makes sense. I don’t know much about rockwool and I can imagine once you learn it can be great in a drip system.
Serious questions because I don’t k ow about rockwool much.
How long is your average wet/dry cycle?
Can you run benificials or do you keep it clean with like pool shock or hydroguard or something?

My wet dry cycles depends on the stage of growth and temps/humidity/light. When iam going for established roots i go as low as around 70 to 80% dry down. Then hit em till about 15% runoff. As the mature and are in the slab..I like to feed/water when just the very bottom of the slab is still moist. Alot of growers overwater when growing in rockwool. Once roots are established you can hammer em like coco but I still dont. At peak flower its very much like coco coir growing. About the same EC (around 1.6- 1.8) but a little lower pH..around 5.6 to 5.8. Because their is no cation exchange with rockwool like most other substrates you can get a much better idea of whats going on in the root zone with runoff checks. I still take samples with a big syringe from the slab itself but its rarely if ever off from actual drain runoff. Besides that..to me there is not much difference between coco and rockwool. Except the wool is way less messy and much quicker transplants. Just setting a block on another block basically. With alot of plants..is 10x faster than transplanting pot up of loose substrates like peat or coco coir.