Flood and drain bucket system watering schedule

[Jeremey]

I’m on my second run with these 2 gallon flood/drain buckets. Looking for some input from anyone who has done this method. I’m using Rockwool chunks, and GH nutrients. Allot of web info says flood 3 times a day during lights on, but it’s seems like one of my setups needs much less right now. Those are at beginning of week 3. I’m at 650ppms or 3/4 strength. Ppms are 500 scale. I know that I have not dialed it in yet. Nothing bad going on, but foliage isn’t singing yet. Thanks in advance

 

[Jack og]

Are the roots looking ok? Not shooting upwards? If not I think they will adjust, usually I’ll see roots up top indicating issues below

 

[III6hydro]

I’m on my second run with these 2 gallon flood/drain buckets. Looking for some input from anyone who has done this method. I’m using Rockwool chunks, and GH nutrients. Allot of web info says flood 3 times a day during lights on, but it’s seems like one of my setups needs much less right now. Those are at beginning of week 3. I’m at 650ppms or 3/4 strength. Ppms are 500 scale. I know that I have not dialed it in yet. Nothing bad going on, but foliage isn’t singing yet. Thanks in advance

did you nail down flood time with these what schedule worked out?

 

[Jeremey]

did you nail down flood time with these what schedule worked out?

I never could get that schedule right. The roots looked like shit. Definitely root rot, but only in the space between the bottom of the buckets and the liner. Some custom grow bags might fix it. I changed things up to top feed. It’s a bad ass system with those buckets. Saves you that a foot of height vs tables. I now use Green Fields coco mix. I put paint strainer bags for a liner. It will not keep roots in, but it holds the perlite and coco. Water schedule, nope. That stays perfect all day. Feed system starts hour before lights til lights out. Hands down better than flooding those buckets could ever be. I should post up a journal soon. Shit was a game changer. With using buckets recirculating, I got 5x4 canopy per lid. Rows of 3, 12 per lid. Are you using the buckets?

 

[Jeremey]

Here’s a couple of pics, early flower. Plants are very robust

 

[Jeremey]

This one was beginning week 3 flower

 

[Jeremey]

This is what I got with the flood method. Had my plants jacked up.

 

[III6hydro]

I never could get that schedule right. The roots looked like shit. Definitely root rot, but only in the space between the bottom of the buckets and the liner. Some custom grow bags might fix it. I changed things up to top feed. It’s a bad ass system with those buckets. Saves you that a foot of height vs tables. I now use Green Fields coco mix. I put paint strainer bags for a liner. It will not keep roots in, but it holds the perlite and coco. Water schedule, nope. That stays perfect all day. Feed system starts hour before lights til lights out. Hands down better than flooding those buckets could ever be. I should post up a journal soon. Shit was a game changer. With using buckets recirculating, I got 5x4 canopy per lid. Rows of 3, 12 per lid. Are you using the buckets?

yesir dwc 3.5 g buckets but we added 10 and am trying to figure a good schedule for flooding and draining back to 55g drum im also using the rockwool loose fill kinda like you show have had good results ..monsters 6feet didn't have any issues with roots till I added too much mollasses the wrong way..lol

 

[PhatNuggz]

My best results came when I did top feed using Hydro Halo Drip rings. with air pots. My media was lava rock. I fed ~ 3 x per hour (see photo). There were issues that are easily corrected, but I moved to F & D always with VG results, until I outsmarted myself pushing the envelop by raising the water line, not realizing I was soaking the starter cubes= root rot

I finally resolved a root rot issue that killed my last 4 grows and almost my current one until I figured out what the problem was, a combination of setting my water level too high (soaking my starter cubes) combined with too frequent floods which never allowed the media to dry out. Obviously, this is not a problem with clones that are not put into any moisture holding media

I use polished stones which do not hold moisture. Consequently, I am able to flood every 30-45 minutes 24/7 30 minutes in grow, 45 minutes in bloom with excellent results

The root pic is not RR, I poured a dark root enhancemnet nutrient directly into the net pot. The roots are the from the blooming plant, the picture is ~ 2 weeks ago

hth

Drop by my thread to see the near death and resurrection

 

[XxTheWolfxX]

Top feeding is at the top of the food chain but the flood and drain system is pretty good too..rockwool cubes hold too much moisture for the intended purpose, if you cut it with hydroton or just ran hydroton straight up in the buckets and flood and drain you root zone would get more oxygen. What’s happening is your flood cycle with the rockwool isn’t drying out before it gets flooded again, higher room temps, fans can help a little to dry it out, but the whole design is the flood and drain quick, push out stagnant air out of root zone with fresh oxygen..you have the right buckets with the concave bottom and bottom drain hole, normally I’ll lift the buckets and check in between flood cycles and tell how long it’s taken for the inner bucket to be dry and adjust my flood times.