Hey Ebb n Flow Growers...

[rollinthc]

Started my 1st grow using ebb n flow 3x3 tray and 1k HPS. I have a 40gal rez and using lucas formula GH Micro and Bloom. Using 4x4 rockwoolcubes sitting on a coco mat.

What I've been noticing is some algae growth stating on the cubes, so I added some caps on the cubes. What I was wondering is:

-How about the coco mat for algae growth, it is exposed 100% to the water and light and nutes and not covered by anything. This is the standard setup? I was thinking of covering everything up (the entire tray and cubes) with visqueen plastic and cutting some slits in it for the plant roots...What do you think about this-good idea or bad? Why hasnt this been done before, or has it? If it has, what results?

-Also, saw something called "bud blanket", is this good, better, worse than coco mat for root promotion, algae growth etc..?

I'm not too concerned of the algae on the cubes, but was thinking if the entire coco mat is growing algae, damn thats gotta suck up lots of nutes and O2 and what the hell am I growing?! Algae or buds?!

Thanks for your input!:smiley_joint:

 

[St3ve]

I don't ever bother with the mat because here soon you should have a dense canopy and that will block out most of the light getting down there.

If it gets bad or bothers you, sprinkle some cinnamon to kill off the fungus/algae.

 

[sincethe80s]

i used cocomat on my last grow and i didnt have algae problems with it just on the blocks. i thought about putting plastic over the cocomat, but thought it would grow algae on the plastic.. is bud blanket like a cocomat?

 

[tortuga1503]

I have used coco mat and it didn`t grow algie only the top of the RW blocks. Now I only use coco to cover my hydroton or my pots full of RW croutons which are the shit if you don`t know. Bomb ass media. I`m in the middle of the run and I have 4 plants in RW croutons. I love these things and I hate RW but the croutons rock.You should just cover the tops of the RW if your concerned with coco. They sell lil coco cut outs just for that. They`re super cheap like less than 5 bucks

 

[Buddy Flowers]

no algae on my matt

 

[dentonland]

i ditched the coco matt and instead am sitting my six inch cubes on 8 inchers with top feed now...nothing in the tray except the cubes.... such a cleaner set up. i have 3 individual heads with 8 -1/4" lines from each which equals 24 lines.. 3 lines per cube set up. Hygrozyme cleaned my old set up allright
\good luck

 

[rollinthc]

Yeah that seems like a cleaner setup without the coco mat and the top feed..Hmm I like the coco mat for the root growth but its dirty...theres gotta be a better solution..

Thanks for all the above input..

 

[dentonland]

Im going uc next round.. hijacked a sfvog strain .. lemon and were acing the old ebb and flow... exact thing u got.. thats how i started but its just dirtier and my buddy was doing the top feed.. his trays white and shiny.... just sterile.. so nice. Then we went cube on cube and its awesome..major room for roots.. hes got a link on here starts out about co2 questions and hes got some pics.. check it out. his call name is ogonly

 

[rollinthc]

Yea I am going to try to measure the O2 levels starting with next grow, and if algae forms, see if these O2 levels are affected by the algae to a good amount. This will let me know if its a problem. What do you think?

 

[gudkarma]

cant you just cut squares, little slit in the center, outta panda plastic?

you fools should should be growin in hydroton.

i like my reusable medium.

tortuga, on the other hand, is crazy in love w/ rockwool crutons.

i'd like to try those in my 6x6" pots.

 

[rollinthc]

Yea The ebb flow system is temporary until I get my aeroflo system up, Idont think I like the RWcubes and coco mat, rockwool gets algae etc and it seems a dense medium restrictive etc...

Once I get the aeroflo, I plan on using: Neoprene for clones, then pop that out and into 3" nets with hydroton into a mini aeroflo for veg (in veg room), then finally pop that 3" net cup into the final aeroflo system-done.

I have also been looking into Sure to gro media as a sub for hydroton, or other media...Wonder if POLYFILL would work (!) I like hydroton though it seems simple and semi clean and reusable.

 

[tortuga1503]

Hey Gud I do like the croutons but 80% of my garden is hydroton. I love hydroton more. The hydroton in 3 gal pots is what I run. Its takes like 60 gallons just to water my 4x8 tray because the pots are pretty tall so I have it flooding as high as I can. If you run E&F you should use hydroton,good draining pots sounds stupid but if my pots didn`t drain all the way out and I didn`t realize it. The pots are tall so the plants were fine for shit a couple of weeks than when the roots really hit the bottom they all of a sudden look like shit,looked overwatered but they were fine plus in hydroton so it had me trippin I finally figured it out drilled a shit load of holes and a few hours later all was well and has been ever since. I have 2 85 watt air pumps w/8 air stones in 90 gallon rez. Root rot can`t live in highly oxygenated water. Denton mentioned he started w/E&F,Me to and one day want to give the uc a shot but not till I dial this in first. E&F=simplicity